Return to Our New Lives
by Tiggipi
Summary: Lena prepares to return to Korea now that the war is over, but a certain band of obstructions keeps interfering — LenaxHyun-Min alternate ending
1. Preparations

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

_**Note -** This is a revised version of my original story. To not confuse those who have read this chapter already, these first chapters take place earlier than they did before, but they'll come together. I just wanted to revise it to make it more similar to the real plot. I also switched from first person to third person, it's easier to write in...  
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_However, since this is an 'alternate ending' fic, I am excluding everything from the end of volume 17 (except for Eleanor's death.) Pretend none of it happened... xD  
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_So, as a back-story explanation, the war has ended (yay), Eleanor is dead (double yay), and everyone is now at Ashton. This takes place a few weeks, perhaps a month after Saver ends.  
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_Lena slowly opened her eyes, taking in the dark canopy attached to the ceiling above her bed which fell down in thick folds all the way to the floor. Her lips twisting into a frown, she sat up slowly and threw the piles of fluffy blankets off of her body and climbed out of the unnecessarily large bed that she slept in each night. Having somewhere to call her own room felt somewhat bizarre after traveling as a mercenary for so long. More than once she had wished for a nice bed to sleep in every night instead of on the hard, lumpy ground, but having the stars strewn across the sky to see was something she missed quite a bit. But now that she was staying at Ashton castle, sleeping outside would be pointless. If it were up to her, she would be housed in the barracks, or at least a small, undecorated room that only held what she needed. This room only got on her nerves with its elegantly woven tapestries hung on the walls, soft carpets scattered about the floor, and enough space for several people to stay in comfortably.

Slipping off the silky robe she'd slept in, she dressed quickly in the gratefully plain clothing that had been provided for her. It had taken a week and a fair amount of yelling to get the servants to stop bringing her nightmarishly frilly dresses and brightly colored trains of fabric that she wouldn't be caught wearing even if she were dead. It hadn't taken her long to track down the one responsible and threaten him into submission. The prince of Aran, Siegfried, always had tried his hardest to get Lena to wear what Lena referred to, none too fondly, as "princess clothing". She was suspicious that Siegfried wasn't the only one who had been involved in the dress scheme, but since the servants no longer offered her the dresses, she didn't particularly care who it was.

With a sigh at her own reflection in the gigantic mirror leaning up against the wall, she tied her hair up out of the way and attached her two swords to her belt. The gracefully forged medieval-style sword from the Leon tribe, and her old, battered Japanese katana that her mother had given to her over ten years ago on the day she started kumdo lessons. One from Scotland, one from Korea. The past and the future. They reminded her daily that she belonged neither here nor there.

As she straightened up from buckling on her scuffed-up boots, a soft knock sounded on her door.

"Ley, are you awake?"

"Yes," Lena called back, striding quickly across the large room and unlocking the bolt on the door. She swung it open and smiled down at Sharis, who stepped backward a ways to allow Lena room to exit. Lena shut the door behind her and walked with Sharis side-by-side down the long, dimly lit stone passageway. It felt significantly cooler out here than in her bedroom where a fire was kept constantly burning in the hearth under the supervision of the servants. Their footsteps echoed noisily along the passage, adding to the bustling sounds of the servants and other castle-dwellers hurrying past. As they reached the top of the large staircase which led to the castle's spacious entryway, Sharis sped up her pace as she descended, waving her arm at Sean, Michael and Cid who had been conversing together moments before. They turned toward the pair of women and smiled.

"I found her!" Sharis called with a laugh. "She was still asleep."

"I was not," Lena said as she followed.

"You have been getting lazy since we came here," Sean said to her as she stopped in front of them. "We have been up for hours!"

"Oh, shut up," Lena glared down at him and watched a smile spread across his childish face. His bright blue eyes lit up with amusement at her irritated response. "You probably only just woke up yourself."

"Yes, he did," muttered Cid.

"Cid!" Sean exclaimed, looking indignantly at the rugged man beside him. Cid crossed his arms and shrugged slightly with a smile.

"Oh, was I not supposed to say? I was unaware that it was a secret."

Lena shook her head and stalked away after smirking at Sean. "Whatever, let's just go get breakfast."

Wending her way through the crowded hall, she entered the kitchens and dodged around the many cooks and servants that were swarming throughout the area. Not only did many of them have breakfast to deliver to their masters, but they were also busy making preparations for the celebration that would take place that night. Since the war between Tamir and Kabul had finally ended, Lucien had once again taken up residence in Ashton and the day of celebrations of his victorious return was finally at hand. Quickly snatching up a wooden tray that was laying abandoned on the edge of one of the tables, Lena covered it in whatever food happened to be nearby and then left the kitchen to rejoin her friends who had waited outside, not wanting to add to the chaos within.

"You are always so good at sneaking through crowds," Sharis said as she took a tart from Lena's tray and began to eat it.

"She is sneaky, no matter where she is," Michael chuckled lightly as he also took a tart.

"I have to be, if I ever want peace and quiet," Lena said huffily. "You all would always be following me around otherwise, and I'd have a constant headache from your chattering."

"Oh, do not be like that," he smiled around the tart he had lifted to his lips. "You know you love us."

Lena replied by lifting her free hand and smashing it onto his face, causing the entire tart in his hand to be crammed into his mouth. His eyes widened and he coughed in surprise, trying to not choke.

"M-Michael," Cid looked at him with an expression torn between amusement and concern.

Michael raised a hand to wave him off and concentrated on chewing, his pale eyes watering. He finally swallowed and breathed deeply. "I-I am okay," he choked out, trying to smile reassuringly.

"He wouldn't die from a fruit tart," Lena grumbled. She ignored Michael's exaggeratedly wounded expression and set the tray down on an unoccupied end of a long wooden table in the corner of the great hall and slid onto the bench beside it.

"Looks like everything will be ready ahead of schedule," Sean observed as he tore into a piece of meat he'd taken from the tray.

Lena nodded with a bored expression. She found this whole thing completely pointless, but was forced to agree to attend as a guest of honor. Lucien had suggested having Lena and her four friends being presented to the guests during the celebration. He thought it would be a wonderful moment of glory for the Five who had brought about the defeat of the antagonistic Queen Eleanor. Lena hated the very thought of having to stand in front of so many people, but agreed since she didn't want to refuse a request from the king in front of his group of court nobles who had been there when he made the suggestion. She figured that was the only reason he had asked when he did, judging by the victorious smile he had shot at her afterward.

Her hand squashed a tart in annoyance and she tore it apart, eating it slowly in small pieces. "I just want it to be over and done with."

"We just have to stand and be applauded," said Cid as he patted her shoulder. "It is not like we have to address everyone with a long-winded speech about how we won."

"That is Lucien's duty," Michael said as he ate, somewhat cautiously, another tart.

"My parents will be here too." Sean smiled happily at Lena from across the table.

She still didn't want to do it.

Large hands suddenly grabbed Lena's shoulders and she jumped in surprise as an obnoxious laugh burst out from behind her. Her eyebrows reflexively drew together in irritation, both toward the owner of the hands, and toward herself for still not having adequate defenses against getting grabbed by him, after knowing him for so long.

"Good morning, my lovely friends!" Siegfried called loudly over Lena's head, gripping her tightly and making her sway back and forth despite her attempts at keeping herself upright.

"Good morning, Prince Siegfried," came the scattered reply as Lena tried to shake his hands off but couldn't break free. His hands slid down her arms and he hugged her around her middle, constricting her breath.

"Good morning, Ley," he sniggered into her ear.

She elbowed him sharply in the stomach which resulted in a satisfying "oof!" as Siegfried let her go and held his side instead. "Good morning, idiot," she answered in a cool voice and turned to glare at him.

Lucien stepped up behind him with an angry look. "Prince Siegfried, will you ever learn?"

"Ah, apparently not," he wheezed and rubbed the spot where Lena's elbow had struck. He suddenly straightened up and gave an annoyed look to his bodyguard, Visal, who was standing to one side. "Are you not supposed to be protecting me?"

Visal turned toward the wild-looking prince, amusement flashing in his dark eyes as he kept his face blank. "I apologize, your highness. Sir Ley moved too quickly for an intervention."

Sean snorted into his breakfast and hurriedly tried to cover it up with a pretend sneeze. Siegfried didn't seem to notice. He laughed again with a nod, "Yes, she is a swift one, is she not? Gets me every time!"

"You wouldn't get hit if you didn't grab me every chance you get," Lena snarled.

"That would be a waste," he replied swiftly. "Now then, I have to leave. Very busy today, you know."

"Then why did you even bother coming here in the first place?"

"Oh, yes," he raised his eyebrows as if remembering something. "My lady, Ley-"

"Stop calling me that."

"-there is a very important person I wish for you to meet tonight."

Lena stared at him suspiciously. "Who?"

"It is a surprise!" he said as he beamed at her and turned away, striding toward the entrance hall with Visal trailing silently along behind him. "See you all tonight!"

Lucien leaned over and took a tart from the almost empty tray, trying to hide a faint smile.

Lena glanced at him as he straightened. "You know who it is, don't you?"

He shrugged in a neutral way and looked elsewhere.

"Fine, don't tell me," she muttered and turned away. For a moment she stared down at the shredded remains of her tart, not feeling hungry anymore. She hadn't the slightest idea who would want to meet her, but she knew that if it made Siegfried excited, she probably wasn't going to like it.

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_Reviews are always nice! :3 I dunno how many people actually read this, since the Saver fancore is pretty tiny... But I hope the few of you who have taken the time to read this enjoyed it!_


	2. Celebrations

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

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Lena nervously stared at herself in the long mirror in her room. She had consented to wearing more formal clothing for the evening's celebrations, but was quickly coming to regret that decision. Twisting around, she looked at her back in the mirror, growing more and more embarrassed the longer she took in her appearance. The long, white robe she wore hung loosely around her thin shoulders and fell past her knees in soft folds, nearly brushing the tops of her white shoes. A decorative belt around her slim waist and a gold clasp on her right shoulder held the robe in place. Detailed embroidery in gold thread covered the edges of the fabric and sparkled in the light when she moved. Long strips of red cloth fluttered down her back as if she had wings. Locks of her hair had been braided and pulled back to be fastened to the back of her head with a gold hair ornament.

She felt very uncomfortable.

"You look very beautiful, my lady," one of the servants said softly, carefully tugging Lena's robe straight and smiling at her in the mirror.

Lena tried to hide her reaction as she cringed at the title. "T-thank you," she replied stiffly, wishing they'd go away. She had allowed the servants to help her dress only because she had no idea how to put on the clothes. Lucien had chosen them for her, and she was now completely convinced that he was the other culprit behind the dresses. With a pang of nostalgia, she remembered how easy it was to get dressed in the clothing she wore in Korea. No strange pieces of cloth that had to twist in just the right way so it wouldn't fall off, no sparkling decorations that would blind someone with all the reflected light, no tight leggings that itched when she walked.

She sighed helplessly and turned away from the mirror once the servants had stepped away from her. Sharis was sitting on Lena's bed in a lacy white dress with a red sash tied around her waist. Her long golden hair flowed down her back, woven into a jeweled net of gold chains. A very light coat of makeup had been brushed across her face. She was sniggering in a very un-ladylike way behind one of her small hands.

"Stop that," Lena frowned at her and crossed her arms.

"S-sorry," Sharis chuckled one last time and stood up, her dress falling to her feet with a soft swish. "You just look so pretty, it is strange."

Lena opened her mouth to retort, but couldn't decide if that had been an insult or a compliment. Instead, she stayed silent and took a deep breath and started toward the door, which the servants obligingly opened for her to walk through. For a moment, she considered telling the servant that she could manage to open a door on her own, but she settled for muttering a few words of gratitude. She walked slowly, to allow Sharis to keep up in her long dress. The passage was even colder than that morning, and was filled with the flickering light of torches instead of steady sunlight. The chaotic noise of bustling servants was replaced with the buzz of conversation from the guests who had arrived at the castle during the afternoon and early evening. As they reached the top of the stairs, Lena drew in her breath sharply. There were far more people than she thought there would be. The entire entryway was flooded with people, and Lena could see many more already inside the great hall. With the reassuring presence of Sharis at her side, she slowly descended the stairs, taking care to not step on the hem of her clothing. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, she glanced around the entryway for the other three as she walked toward the hall where everyone was beginning to be seated.

"Well, this is quite the surprise."

Lena and Sharis turned around to find the men walking toward them. All three were also dressed in white, and were looking much calmer than Lena. She knew Michael and Sean were both already used to being in the center of attention since they'd grown up in positions of importance, but she was slightly surprised that Cid also looked like he'd been in this kind of situation before. But he'd always managed to keep his composure in nerve-wracking situations.

"You two look exceptionally beautiful this evening," Michael smiled at them.

"Thank you," Sharis said slowly, running her eyes over his outfit with a raised eyebrow. "You are looking very... Pale?"

"He looks like a snowman," said Lena bluntly after a moment of staring. She turned away from their confused looks and entered the great hall.

"What is a snow man?" Michael whispered behind her.

"I do not know," Sean whispered back.

Lena ran her eyes over the very crowded hall and sighed deeply. Lucien was seated at the center of a long table at the far side of the hall with Arena seated beside him, and Nox and Dein standing at attention behind them. The long wooden tables stretching away from Lucien's were packed with people. The visiting royalty were seated closest to Lucien, with the nobles and other guests filling the rest of the seats according to their rank. A small group of Leons were seated in a corner, blatantly sticking out from everyone else as they sat in silence, ignoring the interested looks that many people were sending their way. As Lena stood still, wondering where to sit, Lucien muttered something to Nox, who looked toward her and left Lucien's side. Hurrying around the edge of the room, he came to a stop in front of Lena and bowed.

"King Lucien has asked me to escort all of you to your seats," he said in a very formal tone over the noise that filled the hall as he straightened.

Lena looked up at the empty seats beside Lucien and she felt her stomach drop. "Oh, no. You can't be serious..."

"We have to sit up there?" Sharis gave Nox a horrified look and he smiled at her in an apologetic way.

"My king has specially reserved those seats for the five of you who will be honored tonight after the feast."

"This should be fun," Michael said in his usual amused tone.

Lena glanced back at Nox. "Can't we just sit... somewhere else? Anywhere else?"

"His highness specifically arranged the seats in that manner," Nox shook his head as he answered and looked at her worriedly. "I am afraid he was quite firm about this."

Lena scowled in Lucien's direction and sighed again. "Fine, lead the way."

Nox nodded and began walking back the way he'd come. Lena straightened her shoulders and attempted to not look terrified as she reluctantly followed him up to the head table where Lucien was leaned over, talking to Arena. Lena silently wished that some of her companion's calmness would rub off on her. Lucien stood when they arrived and they bowed to him. He seated Lena on his left with Sharis beside her, and Sean on the end. Cid was seated to Arena's right, with Michael on the other end. Lucien settled himself back on his own chair and turned to Lena.

"How are you this evening?" he asked with a bright smile.

Lena smiled back for appearances, and felt her eye twitch. She replied slowly, her voice dripping with false warmth, "Wonderful, your majesty. And yourself?"

"Splendid," he replied as she shifted nervously in her seat. He leaned closer to whisper, "Please bear with it, just for tonight."

"As if I have a choice," she grumbled at him. She ran her eyes over the crowded hall. Siegfried was seated near the end of one of the long tables and was animatedly waving at her. She briefly raised a hand, trying to fight the urge to jump out of her seat and punch him for being so idiotic. She felt embarrassed enough simply sitting at the table, and didn't need him drawing even more attention to her. He began to mouth her name and point at an elderly man who was staring at her with a very tear-filled, stricken expression from his seat at the very end of his table. Lena looked away from the man's familiar face up to the crown on his head. Her eyes slid back over the Siegfried who was smiling widely at her and nodding. She gave a single nod in response, trying to keep the shock off her face, and Siegfried happily slapped the king on the shoulder.

At that moment, servants laden with large platters of food filed into the hall and began to cover the tables. As servant after servant set dishes down on the table in front of Lena, her surprise at seeing the king of Aran faded somewhat as she gave a sideways glance to Sharis and muttered, "How are we supposed to eat all this?"

When the servants left the hall again, Lucien stood and raised his goblet, smiling warmly at the crowd. Everyone slowly quieted down as they all turned to look at him. "Welcome, my honored guests. I thank you for coming to celebrate with me the victory and peace we have gained after so many dark years at war. Please, eat well and enjoy the company of one another on this joyous night." He raised his goblet higher in a toast, and everyone repeated his action before drinking deeply. As he sat down again, the hall erupted in loud conversation as the people began to take food off of the table in front of them.

Lena smiled to herself and began to eat. It felt somewhat strange to see Lucien act so proper and kingly. After traveling with him for so long, she had seen him at his worst, his most desperate, his most defenseless. But she knew that every part of him simply made him more fit to rule over Tamir. His love and devotion for his subjects was part of the reason that Lena continually distanced herself from him. She knew that he loved her, but she also knew that he loved his country more, and she wasn't willing to be a distraction, even now that the war was over. He needed someone by his side that would support him and help him wholeheartedly. Someone who didn't resolutely hang onto her past as Lena did.

After what seemed like hours, the platters were finally empty. Lena sighed with relief as she looked about the subdued tables. Lucien once again stood up and the hall went silent as every face turned toward him in expectation a second time. "I pray that you all have enjoyed your meal, and thank you once again for coming here tonight. This opportunity in which we may eat and drink in such a place is due to the sacrifices we have all made during the years that we all fought to defend our homes against the war that threatened us. I ask that you all remember the men who gave their lives to fight for this peace, and spend a moment of silence to honor them, and those of the innocent whose untimely death was caused by the battles that raged through their lands." He swept his sharp eyes over the people in the hall and the silence rang out in Lena's ears louder than the noise of conversation during dinner. Faces of those Lena had met over the time she'd been in Scotland flickered through her mind.

Lucien smiled at his guests and took a deep breath. "I am sure that many of you have heard tales of a prophecy which speaks of five people who would come to end the bloodshed that darkened our countries. A prophecy that has been passed down through the generations. Some of you may not have believed it, others may have. I was also skeptical toward whether or not the prophecy was truth," he paused and raised his arms out to his sides to gesture toward those who sat at his table. "Until I myself met the Five."

Murmuring broke out around the hall as people shifted in their seats to see the occupants of the table. Lena felt her face grow hot as she tried to not fidget nervously under the renewed attention.

"These five warriors have saved the lives of countless people, my own included, time after time. They risked themselves to bring us a future." He listed their names, one by one, and the people seated throughout the hall gave gasps of admiration and rounds of applause as each stood. Lena felt panic rise in her chest as Lucien finally turned to her and took her hand. She stood shakily and tried her hardest to appear calm.

"And the woman who drew the Five together into one. The Child of the Prophecy," Lucien said as he turned back to the guests. He paused for a moment and then announced, "The princess of Aran, Lena."

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_Sorry for the abrupt ending. xP Seemed like a good break-off point, cause this chapter was really long originally (the other half is in the next chapter)... Reviews are always appreciated :)  
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	3. Arguments

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

_**Note -** I dunno what the king of Aran's name is, so I gave him one... xD Was it ever actually mentioned? The only time I remember him being talked about was when he was briefly mentioned in a conversation between Lucien and Siegfried after that gladiator match, and they just referred to him as the king, or 'that old man' or something along those lines, haha. Ah, well..._

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Lena froze at hearing her name come from Lucien's mouth. The people in the hall looked at her in awe, but their faces slowly blurred and faded out of her sight as the room seemed to dim. The noise of the crowd cheering and clapping as they stood was drowned out by a roaring in her ears. She slowly turned her head to blankly look up at Lucien's face. The smile he wore was one of eagerness, as if she should feel happy that he somehow knew her real name. She pulled her hand out of his grip as she turned to look out over the hall, staring determinedly at a spot on the wall to avoid making eye contact with anyone.

"Tonight as we celebrate the peace, we also honor the Five who made all of this possible," Lucien finished his speech, his smile fading somewhat at seeing Lena's reaction. To her dismay, a flood of guests suddenly began approaching the table to greet those standing there. Lena managed to smile as noble after noble clasped her hand and introduced themselves before heading out of the hall to somewhere else where Lena figured the celebrations would continue. Lena tried to memorize the names of them all out of respect, but eventually gave up due to the vast numbers. She was glad that many of those she already knew had refrained from joining in.

After a while, her face began to ache from smiling for so long. She longed to be alone in her room, but forced herself to stay there. When the last person turned away from her, Lena wordlessly left the table and walked as fast as she could toward the entryway. Anger roiled through her as she felt new-found hatred for the clothing she wore as it hindered her pace. Before she could reach the stairs, a hand firmly clamped around her upper arm and halted her retreat. She glared over her shoulder and came face-to-face with Siegfried and the king he'd been sitting beside.

"And where do you think you are going?" he grinned mischievously at her.

"Let go," she said in a low voice, rage flashing across her dark eyes.

"Did you forget, I have someone who wants to meet you?" He obediently let her arm go and stepped aside to allow the man room to approach her. "This is my father."

Lena simply stared at the old king in silence. Age and hardship had lined his face, but he looked much like he did in the past. His eyes were warm and he looked down at her with the same shocked expression he'd worn for most of the feast. He took a great shuddering breath and smiled. Stepping closer, he cupped her face in his hands and tears began to fall from his eyes. "Lena..."

Lena's body stiffened in surprise as the king drew her into a tight embrace. After a moment, she stepped back, twisting slightly in his grip to make him let go. She rubbed the king's tears off her cheek with her sleeve and stared at him in annoyance.

"Lena," he said again in a hopeful tone, his arms still outstretched toward her. He started to take a step forward, but she held out her hand to stop him. "I-"

"Don't touch me."

"Ley?" Sharis and the others came up behind the king and stopped beside Lena, glancing back and forth between the pair in confusion. "Who is that?"

Lena shook her head and backed up a few more paces, putting the others between her and the king as Lucien strode up as well. "What is going on here?" he glanced at Lena's guarded expression and then turned to look at the king. "Your majesty, what is the matter?"

"Eh?" Sharis put a hand over her mouth and her eyes shot up to the crown on the king's head. "I-I am sorry for being so rude," Sharis stuttered at the king, looking horrified at having interrupted.

"No," he raised a hand and smiled at her. "You did nothing wrong. I was just trying to... to explain to Lena..." his quiet voice trailed off and he looked at Lena helplessly. "Please, listen to me."

"What do you want?" She saw Lucien give her a disapproving look out of the corner of her eye and quickly added, "Your majesty."

He looked relieved that she wasn't attempting to escape again. "My name is Alec," he paused a moment, his eyes flickering between hers. "I am your father."

She narrowed her gaze, not liking where the conversation was going. "So, what about it?"

"Ley!" Sean suddenly burst out. "How come you never told us that you are a princess?"

"I'm not!" she yelled back.

"You were taken from me after you were born," Alec said hurriedly. "Siegfried only recently told me that there was a chance you were alive, I came with him today to see for myself."

"I know the story," Lena answered. "Queen Ariana stole me from Jira, and took me to Kabul where we disappeared, and were apparently thought to be dead."

"You knew?" he raised his eyebrows.

"What difference does it make? I'm not your princess," Lena turned away to leave but Lucien grabbed her arm.

"Stop being rude to his majesty," he reprimanded, holding her in place.

"Let me go."

Alec held up his hands as if he thought that would calm her down. "Lena, please-"

"No!" She shook her arm out of Lucien's grip and retreated a few more steps back, nearly tripping over the stairs as the backs of her feet collided with them. "Why is my being alive so important to you?"

"Ley," Lucien said as he looked at her angrily. "Stop being childish and listen to what his majesty has to say."

"He has nothing to say that I'm interested in," she hissed through clenched teeth.

"You do not know that."

"Why are you so against speaking to him?" Cid questioned.

Lena looked at him for a moment and then looked down at the ground. "I don't want to be forced into a position of responsibility. I've waited all this time for the war to be over, and now..."

Lucien's eyes widened in realization. "You cannot possibly be thinking of _that_."

"So what if I am? My plans have never changed," she answered, looking up at him. "And aren't going to."

"What are you talking about?" Cid asked slowly.

"Now that I'm not needed here anymore, I'm going home," Lena said, crossing her arms defiantly over her robes. "That's been my goal since the beginning. I didn't even want to come here in the first place."

Anger flashed across Lucien's eyes and he took a step toward her. "You..." He stopped himself as Lena retreated up one stair, and he looked away from her.

"You want to go home, to Aran..?" Sean asked uncertainly.

"Aran is fairly close by," Michael added.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"She said her home was very far away."

"Oh, she did-"

"I never said I was going to Aran," Lena frowned at the pair.

"Where else would you go?"

"Home."

Sean stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

"And that is..? Where?" Michael asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Lena asked guardedly.

"Curiosity."

"It is only fair!" Sean exclaimed. "You know all about us, but we do not know anything about you."

"I don't care!" Lena glowered at him. "You don't need to know! I'm going back alone!"

"B-but, Ley!" Sean's eyes suddenly filled with tears.

"Leave me alone, and quit crying!"

"If you left, what of all of us?" Lucien asked quietly, his voice shaking slightly with forced calm. "What of your family? You only just got to meet your father, and now-"

"I never asked to meet him," Lena interrupted. "Did you think I'd be happy, being forced to take on this burden of... of having a subjects, and a kingdom? Don't call those two my family as if I have some close bond with them."

Lucien's eyes narrowed and he drew away from her, all warmth gone from his face. "How could you say that?" Lena stayed silent and looked away from his furious expression as he continued, "You would throw away your family and the responsibility you were born with just to satisfy your own selfish wants? It is the duty of a ruler to put their country first. King Alec has lived all these years under the impression that you were dead, and now you will abandon him again? How can you be so heartless?"

"Stop forcing your own damn views on me," Lena looked back at Lucien coldly and pointed at Alec. "He may be my father, but I'm not under any obligation to rule over some country with him. Siegfried, idiot though he may be, is more than enough for that." She turned away and started up the stairs two at a time. "Mind your own business and quit trying to take over my life. I'm going home, no matter what you say."

No reply came. After a few moments, she was at her door. She felt relief flood her that no one followed. Swiftly stepping inside and locking the door behind her, she unclasped the robe from her shoulder and took off the belt, shedding the clothing across the floor and retreating behind a pale curtain in the corner, and stopped in front of her bath. As usual, clean, hot water filled it almost to the brim. She stepped inside and leaned against the warm side, trying to relax. She watched as small trails of steam roiled off of the surface of the water. Swatting them away angrily, she picked up a cake of soap from its place on the side of the bath and, with far more force than necessary, washed herself off. She stopped after a few minutes, looking down at her skin, pink from being so roughly scrubbed. Tossing the soap aside, she stepped out, dried herself off, and dressed in a clean robe that had been laid out on top of her bed for her. Falling forward onto the soft blankets, she closed her eyes and tried to ignore the thoughts racing through her head.

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_Reviews? ^-^ (you cannot refuse the pointy caret-eyed emote!)_


	4. Disappearance

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

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Lucien's head shot up from its resting position on his hand when a loud knocking resounded through his outer bed chamber. He rubbed his eyes slightly, straightened his crown which had slipped when he'd sat up so suddenly, and nodded toward Nox. Nox gave him a worried look before hurrying to the door and opening it. Sharis tumbled inside with Sean right behind as if they had been leaning on the door. Both were red in the face and breathing heavily as if they'd just finished running up and down several flights of stairs.

"What is the matter?" Lucien stood up and stepped out from behind the large wooden desk he'd been sitting behind, reviewing scrolls of the affairs of various cities throughout Tamir. The scroll he had been half-heartedly looking over moments before curled back around itself with a soft sound.

"Y-your highness!" Sharis stepped further into the room.

Lucien was surprised to see she had tears in her usually cheerfully bright blue eyes. "Yes? What is it?"

"Ley," Sean continued in a frantic voice.

Lucien stopped mid step, feeling his heart sink with foreboding. "What happened to her?" he asked after a moment, trying to keep his voice level. After the fight they'd had the night before, Lucien wasn't particularly keen on being around her any time soon. But the thought of any harm coming to her, fight or no fight, made his blood run cold.

"No one can find her," Sean tried to suppress a sob.

"I went to her room earlier like I do every morning," Sharis waved an arm toward the open door behind her. "She was not in there, and none of the servants know where she is!"

"And her horse is gone from the stables," Cid called as he suddenly stepped through the doorway.

Nox twisted the cuff of his tunic's sleeve around his fingers and glanced around the room. "C-could she have gone for a morning ride?"

"After what she said last night, I doubt it."

Lucien turned to face the large window behind his desk. The sun was already fairly high, and he knew that if she hadn't been seen by the servants, who always rose much earlier than the rest of the castle's occupants, she must have left a considerable time ago.

"Cid," Lucien turned back to face the others.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"You say her horse is not there, did the stable workers have any information?"

"No, my king. The only person there when I checked was the old stable master, Henry. He told me that he had not seen her. He says his apprentice, Hob, was in charge early this morning, but the boy had been sent out to Ashton on an errand prior to my arrival."

Lucien quickly strode past the others, out the door. "Nox, come with me. The rest of you, find the boy."

"Yes, your majesty."

The three ran toward the main staircase as Lucien led Nox swiftly in the other direction down the passageway toward the wing of the castle where the visiting royalty was staying, apprehension twisting in his stomach with every step. He knew Lena was impulsive and not very reliable when it came to communication, but he never once imagined that she would leave without a word to anyone. Especially when it involved her traveling an unknown distance to an unknown place. The idea of her being alone on a journey of any length only added to his distress. The war may have ended, but that didn't stop roadside bandits from attacking travelers. He knew Lena was exceptionally skilled with her sword and was perfectly capable of protecting herself, but even the most excellent fighters could be taken down by mere thieves if the situation turned ill.

Lucien stopped in front of one of the large wood doors placed along the passage wall and pounded on it with a fist. After a moment, it slowly swung open a few inches and the blank face of Visal edged around to look through the gap.

"My king, what ever is the matter?" he raised one eyebrow slightly and opened the door to let them inside.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of having you attempt to break down my door so early in the morning?" Siegfried looked up from his seat on the low couch near the hearth. He lazily lifted a goblet to his mouth and sighed.

"It is not early," snapped Lucien, feeling annoyed at how comfortable and relaxed Siegfried appeared. "And that is beside the point."

"Then please, get to your point," Siegfried shot Lucien a falsely apologetic look and slowly stood up, drawing his fur-trimmed robes tighter around himself to block out the chill air Lucien had let in through the door.

"Ley is missing."

Siegfried's leisurely attitude vanished as he straightened, the humor gone from his face. "Missing?"

"Get dressed, I need your help," Lucien turned away and left the room, grateful for the noise behind him of Siegfried hurrying to obey.

Twenty minutes later, Lucien was galloping down one of the wide, cobblestone streets of Ashton; Nox, Siegfried and Visal following him on horses of their own. Citizens of the large town pressed themselves to one side, allowing the four an unhindered path through the crowd.

"Your highness!"

Lucien reigned his horse at the call and turned his head. Michael rode out from between two small houses on top of a large, white war horse. Stopping beside Lucien, Michael sighed deeply and frowned at him.

"The boy told us that he does not know where Lena went after leaving the castle nearly eight hours ago."

"You found him fast," remarked Lucien.

"I had already left to search before you gave the order to the other three," Michael replied, urging his horse forward.

Lucien felt his frustration grow. "Do you have any idea which direction she may have left in?"

"No," Michael bluntly called back.

"Let us check the roads leading out of the city, one of the guards at the gates must have seen her leave."

"Or she may have left tracks," Nox added.

Lucien shook his head. "They would have been covered by the tracks of those who entered or left the city this morning."

"My king, we will check the eastern gate," Siegfried called, turning his horse down a different road.

Lucien nodded once toward him before shooting forward again, toward the southern gate. After a few minutes, he had to slow his horse down to a trot as the number of people walking past increased. The gate came into view and Lucien observed the crowds making their way in and out of the gate. Horses and carts mingled with all of the people, adding to the chaotic atmosphere. Finding Lena started to seem like an impossible task if they were only going to rely on tracking. Lucien knew how stealthy she could be, and he was sure that if she didn't want anyone to find her, she would have taken measures to assure that anyone who came looking for her would have a very difficult time.

After several minutes of slow progression toward the gate, Michael finally let out a frustrated growl and jumped to the ground, pushing forcefully through the crowd toward the gatehouse. Nox quickly leaned over and took the reigns of Michael's abandoned horse so it wouldn't wander off.

Lucien fixed his eyes on the gate and watched it get closer with every step of his horse, hoping that the gate keepers would know if she had passed through here. He knew that looking for tracks would be impossible. As he passed through the gates at long last, he turned his horse to one side and rode out of the flow of people and stopped to one side on top of a small rise. Running his gaze over the stretch of land outside Ashton's walls, he took in the landscape. All that was in sight was the morning traffic and the farms and houses that were situated at random intervals across the land outside the city.

Settling down in his saddle, Lucien tried to calm himself. He wanted nothing more than to rush out, find Lena, and bring her back, but he knew he couldn't leave. His duty to Tamir was much more important than looking for one missing person. As much as it tore him up inside that she had left, he was determined to keep himself together. Being a king meant he couldn't be selfish. His parents raised him that way. Not only by word of mouth, but by example. They had given their lives for the protection of Tamir, and Lucien wasn't going to stand for anything less from himself.

But he still wanted to see her. There were many times when they traveled together that he thought he'd lost her, but, she returned to him again and again. If only for a short span of time, he felt he'd found someone he could truly share his life with. Even during the time he had been engaged to Queen Eleanor, he had never once thought of her the way he did Lena. Though he felt terrible for having yelled at her the night before, he was hoping that she would choose to stay by his side. He couldn't have predicted that she would reject him so carelessly, as if she was turning down some dish she didn't like the taste of.

Lucien knew their way of thinking was far too different. He put his value in the good of the people he ruled over. She put her value in her own well-being. She had always done that, but her infrequent displays of protectiveness toward her friends gave Lucien hope that she might have started opening up her heart to those around her. She had protected him many times. Saving his life over and over. Even when she told him that she was only acting as his shield so she could return home, he still clung to the wish that perhaps that protectiveness would change into something deeper. But now she was gone, and he didn't have any more chances to be with her anymore. Not that any of his other attempts had the result that he'd wanted. There were countless instances that he'd tried to get closer to her, and had been pushed away every time. It infuriated him.

Lucien looked down as Michael slowly climbed the grassy slope to stop beside his horse. He let out a long sigh and helplessly looked up at Lucien. "The guards say they have not seen anyone of Lena's description," he announced as he took his horse's reigns back from Nox's possession. "But, perhaps she left by another gate, or left before these guards' shift began. We should find Prince Siegfried and check the other gates."

Lucien swore inwardly and looked out over the landscape again. He didn't know what to do anymore. Trapping Lena in a life she would hate was not at all what Lucien wanted. But cutting all ties with her was also something he couldn't accept. She acted as if those were the only two choices she had. He turned his horse around slowly toward the gate, his mind reeling with conflict. Restricting Lena's actions would only make her angry, and Lucien knew he already did that plenty.

"Nox," he finally called over his shoulder in a quiet voice. "Let us return to the castle."

"Y-yes, my king."

"Wait," Michael swung onto his horse and shot Lucien an incredulous look. "You are just going to give up?"

"And what would you have me do, Michael?" Lucien asked hopelessly. "Drag her back by force? She left on her own free will, I have no right to stop her."

Michael's pale eyebrows drew together into an icy glare. "You are the king, she is your mercenary. You have every right to bring her back, but you are choosing not to do so. You would let her go so easily?"

A humorless smile tugged at the corners of Lucien's mouth as he contemplated the situation. He leaned back slightly, looking up at the clear morning sky. "Of course it is not easy for me. However, the war I initially hired her help for is over, thus she has no reason to stay here any longer."

Michael's face became tinged with pink and he pressed his lips together angrily as Lucien spoke. "Well," he said as rode his horse past Lucien's. "I am not going to stay here idly passing the days, wondering if she is safe, or even still alive."

"Do as you wish," Lucien whispered as he watched Michael press through the crowd and disappear into the city to look for Siegfried.

* * *

_Poor Lucien. He needs a hug._

_Reviiiiewsss :o ?  
_


	5. Decisions

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

* * *

Lucien watched hesitantly as Alec stared silently down at his lap after hearing of Lena's disappearance. He was taking it rather well, in comparison to their explosive reunion the night before. But Lucien knew from his own experience that the old king was most likely only pretending to be calm. He could see the anxiety in Alec's eyes as he finally looked up again.

"How long has she been missing?" he asked quietly.

"Approximately half a day."

Alec nodded sadly and sighed. "I had not meant for this to happen. I just wished to meet her, not force her to return to Aran." The wrinkles about his eyes increased as his expression tightened. "Of course, I would have gladly taken her back if she had wished for such a thing. She is my precious daughter, after all." He sighed and stood up. "I am truly sorry that I have caused you such troubles during your festivities."

Lucien stood as well and shook his head as he walked Alec to the door. "Please, your majesty. There is no reason for you to apologize. If anyone should take the guilt for this, it should be me. It is my fault for making her angry enough to leave in such a manner."

Alec wordlessly patted Lucien on the arm and quietly left the room with his servants in tow. Lucien closed the door after them and drew his hand over his eyes wearily before collapsing onto his squashy seat once more. He sat silently with his eyes closed, his mind spinning wildly as he continued the mental battle with himself. Every minute was another moment for Lena to get further away from him. The thought of never seeing her again was horrifying, and he found himself wishing that he wasn't the king. He quickly gritted his teeth and tried to push those thoughts out of his head.

The soft rustle of cloth caught his attention and a cool hand was placed on his shoulder. He slowly cracked open his eyes and found Nox staring at him with concern etched into every corner of his face. "Are you okay?"

Lucien breathed deeply for a moment before he nodded. "Yes, I am fine..."

Nox's lips turned slightly upward and his grip tightened around Lucien's shoulder as he crouched down. He gazed silently at the young king for a moment, bright green eyes flickering between Lucien's own pale blue. "I do not believe you."

Lucien gave a small chuckle and tried his hardest to smile convincingly when he wanted nothing more than to burst into tears. He quickly composed himself and sat up straighter, giving another sigh. "It was," he said, but paused afterward, searching for the words. "It was her decision to make."

"That does not mean you have nothing to do with it," Nox said as his hand slipped off Lucien's shoulder. "And that does not mean you have to feign indifference when you are actually worried."

"Are you suggesting that I wallow in self pity because she left me? Again?"

"That is not what I meant," Nox sighed and leaned back on his heels. "I was simply saying that you do not have to completely cut yourself off from your emotions."

"I have a duty to my kingdom. I cannot allow myself to become distracted."

"Being in love does not mean you are unfit to rule."

"I must not allow anything to come between myself and my responsibilities."

Nox shot Lucien a resigned look and shook his head. "When are you going to realize that you do not have to carry the burden of the throne by yourself? There are many people around you ready and willing to be of aid, yet you keep telling yourself that you and only you are able to lead your people."

Lucien's lips tightened in anger, but he stayed silent. He already knew that many supported him, but he wasn't willing to hand over any of his burdens to other people. His duties as king were his and his alone.

"Well," Nox stood up and stretched slightly. "I am always here if you need me."

Lucien smiled warmly at his friend as he was filled with gratitude. They'd grown up together, and Lucien knew he could never find a more loyal servant than Nox. His undying support had gotten Lucien through countless problems through the years. Nox had become the closest thing Lucien had to a brother after his own had disappeared.

A loud knock briefly rang out in the room, and Nox sent Lucien one more smile before stepping to the door and opening it. After a moment, he swung it open wide and let those outside come in. Michael, Cid, Sean, and Sharis entered the room, all wearing determined expressions and their battered traveling clothes.

"I apologize for the intrusion," Cid began, but Michael held up a hand to silence him.

"We are leaving to search for Ley," he announced and stared at Lucien in defiance, as if daring Lucien to say they shouldn't.

Lucien looked blankly up at them, not feeling at all surprised. He had already known without being alerted that they were going to leave. After all, they were all very good friends. And very stubborn ones, at that. His mood darkened slightly as Michael's angry words from that morning echoed in his mind. Was he really going to let her leave so easily?

"Will you come with us?" Michael asked with a somewhat gentler tone.

Lucien's eyes widened and he almost said yes, but he caught himself. He hardened his expression and looked at the floor. "Michael," he said quietly. "You know I cannot."

"No," Michael snapped at him. "I do not know."

Lucien stood and began to pace the room, his anxious steps taking him back and forth. He paused and looked at the group helplessly. "I cannot!"

Michael's face twisted with anger and he suddenly stomped over to Lucien and grabbed the front of his shirt. "Stop hiding behind your crown and face the situation we are in, you coward! You are simply afraid of Ley rejecting you! If you truly loved her, you would follow her anywhere without hesitation!" A deeply ingrained pain filled Michael's eyes and mingled with the cold fury. He slowly released Lucien's shirt and pushed him away. "I ask you again, will you come with us?"

Lucien slowly shook his head and felt tears begin to burn at the corners of his eyes. He wished Michael and the others would go away and stop forcing him to choose between Lena and his kingdom. It was difficult enough to say no once, but to have the question thrown back at him, tempting him again and again, it was becoming unbearable. "I cannot, Michael. You may be able to leave whenever you please, but I have thousands of people depending on me. I cannot desert them, even if I so wished."

"It would not be desertion if you left."

Lucien looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"You are not the only one with a claim on the throne and a desire for your people's well-being," Michael said calmly as he crossed his arms. "You would not be deserting your people. You would be giving your responsibilities to another who would willingly and happily take them from you."

"No," Lucien said at once. "I would never ask her do that."

"Well," Michael said with a faint smile. "That is very admirable of you. However," Michael turned away and looked toward the door. Lucien's eyes widened as he watched Arena and Dein enter. "We have saved you the trouble of asking her, and she has agreed to take on the task."

Lucien quickly stepped around Michael and hurried to his sister's side. She gazed silently up at him with a warm, understanding look. He put his hands on her shoulders and shook his head. "Arena, no. I would never-"

She put her hand over his mouth and looked at him sternly. He didn't look away as the others exited the room, leaving him alone with Arena and their two servants. Hot tears began to spill down his face as he couldn't hold them back anymore. He took a ragged breath and shook his head at her one last time.

"No," he whispered.

Calmly, she placed her hands on his face and gazed up at him lovingly and unwaveringly. She nodded and drew him into a hug. A sob wracked his body as he returned her embrace and rested his head on her shoulder, no longer trying to quench his tears. The tight seal he had forced onto his feelings suddenly broke, and a lifetime of misery spilled out as Arena gently rubbed his back. All of the pain he'd been ignoring for so many years suddenly came crashing down on him in torrents, but Arena was there to hold him upright.

Slowly, Lucien began to calm down, shuddering breaths tearing through his swollen throat. Arena kept her arms wrapped around him securely, though tears were also dripping off her chin as she rested her head against his chest. With one more deep breath, he leaned away from her slightly. She drew her hand across his face, wiping off the tears. He looked at her blankly for a moment, and then smiled in bemusement. He hadn't ever seemed to notice how tall she'd gotten. Somehow in his mind, she was still a little girl who needed him by her side. But a woman was standing before him, strength and determination shining in her eyes. It made him feel slightly lonely as he realized Arena no longer needed to depend on him.

She stepped backward, wiping her own tears off, and beamed up at him once more. She nodded, pushing him slightly toward the door. He glanced toward the inviting-looking passageway outside, but didn't step forward. Lucien returned his gaze to his sister, and she looked at him expectantly.

"My king," Dein called quietly. "Please, do not hesitate." He smiled and inclined his head. "I promise the people of Tamir will not suffer in your absence."

Lucien chuckled. "With you there to watch over them, I do not doubt your words." He sighed and looked at Arena once more. He gathered her small hands in his own and kissed them. "I will come back, I promi-"

Arena put a hand over his mouth once more, a knowing half-smile settling on her face. She gently patted his cheek and then pushed him roughly out the door. He nearly fell over, but the others were there and he was caught by Cid. Lucien nodded at him gratefully as he righted himself.

"Arena," Lucien gave her an annoyed look.

She shrugged, waved a hand, and smiled at him sadly. Nox walked outside and stopped beside Lucien. Dein bowed to the group in the passageway and straightened again with a firm nod. Lucien sighed again and looked about the expectant faces that surrounded him.

"Well?" Michael asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Lucien's eyes flickered back to his sister's face, and he nodded. "Yes," he answered quietly. A tiny feeling of contentment settled in his mind as he finally made his decision. "I am coming with you."

"Perfect!" Michael smiled and walked up to him. "Now then," he said as he shoved Lucien back into the room. Arena and Dein stepped out of the way as he stumbled through the door.

He shot an angry look over his shoulder at Michael. "Why did you push me?"

Michael blinked at him innocently and gracefully brushed his silvery hair over his shoulder. "You needed to go back in to gather your things, did you not? Or were you planning on leaving with no money, no changes of clothing, no cloak, no-"

"Quiet!" Lucien snapped and turned away. "I shall be ready soon."

Michael's laugh echoed through the passageway as Lucien walked quickly to the door of his bedroom.

"Of course, your highness."

* * *

_Phew. It's been a while since I've written something so... weepy. Hope it wasn't too awkward xD _

_(Reviews are nice. :D *poke poke*)_


	6. Searching

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

* * *

"Must you continue doing that?"

Lucien turned and looked wide-eyed at Michael's peevish face. "I am sorry," he said distractedly as he once more began to scan the faces of the people passing by.

"You were the one opposed to searching for Ley when I suggested it, yet now you are abruptly halting your horse every few seconds, with no warning, whenever you see someone who might possibly resemble her. You are going to kill my horse, making it run into yours' ass, again and again."

"Who said you have to ride directly behind me?" Lucien turned back around and glared at the other man.

Michael smirked at him as if the reason for following should be obvious. "If I did not, you would immediately fall behind and get lost. You should be grateful that I am such a considerate person, looking after you so diligently. As a thank you for my selflessness, you really should not stop without telling me beforehand. Look at my poor horse's nose, it is turning pink from the impact!"

"It was always that color, you buffoon!"

"Oh, I do apologize," Michael declared sarcastically. "I was not aware that you had inspected my horse's nose so carefully-"

"Just shut up!"

"-as to be able to compare the _original_ color to _this_ and say without any doubts that they are the same!"

"M-my king, Sir Michael, please lower your voices," Nox said cautiously from a safe distance away as he glanced about the crowded street, turning red under the stares of the people who stood nearby. Echoes from Lucien and Michael's argument resonated in the silence afterward. Sean, Sharis, and Cid were several yards ahead of them, not looking back as if reluctant to be associated with them.

Lucien sent more more glare at Michael, and then cleared his throat. "I apologize for my actions. Let us continue on," he said flatly as he moved forward, trying to keep himself from stopping to search for Lena's face amongst those around him. The frustration was beginning to build again, and Michael's new-found hobby of starting fights with Lucien was not helping Lucien's temper. Michael, obviously enjoying himself immensely, began quietly humming a lively tune as he surveyed their surroundings. The other three, who seemingly had decided it was now safe to ride with them again, had slowed their pace to allow them to catch up.

"My king," Cid glanced at Lucien with a cautious look once their horses were level again. "There is an inn up ahead."

"Does it have a stable?" Lucien asked snappishly.

"Yes. Both the stable and the inn itself look rather large, so it should do nicely," Cid answered as he turned to glower at Michael. Lucien's mood lifted slightly at the thought of getting a room without Michael in it. As they drew nearer to the inn, Michael, Sharis, and Sean rode ahead. Lucien watched their progress, and he leaned over slightly and gave Cid an annoyed look.

"Cid."

"Y-yes, your highness?"

"Is Michael always so... provocative?"

Cid slowly nodded and Lucien straightened with a scowl. "I am afraid so. Though, he usually directs it toward Sean. It seems he has changed his focus to you."

Lucien grimaced and swung himself off of his horse as they stopped in front of the inn's stable. "What a horrid thought," he mumbled as a stable boy took his horse and led it inside.

Cid shrugged helplessly. "If you wish, I may try speaking to him, but I have to say that has never done much good. In the past, the only one capable of keeping him under control was Ley, and even she had trouble getting him to stop at times."

"My king's reactions are just too amusing," Nox said after a moment's pause. Lucien wordlessly stared at him and Nox suddenly looked appalled at himself. "Oh! I am s-sorry... please forgive me, my king, I..!"

Lucien briskly walked past him, into the inn. "No, I suppose you are correct."

After briefly scanning the inside of the smoky, noise-filled inn common room, Lucien carefully edged through the tables to where Michael and Sean stood at the counter, talking with one of the maids. Sean looked toward them and gave a wave.

"Ah, here they are now."

"Slow, as usual," Michael chuckled. "We have booked three rooms for the night. Sharis is already upstairs."

"Good," Lucien breathed a sigh of relief.

"If my lords would please follow me, I shall lead you to your rooms," spoke a maid at their side. Lucien nodded at her, and they followed her up to the second floor. As she directed him into his room, he dropped his bag onto one of the beds and glanced about himself. The room was modestly furnished, and had a worn look to it. It felt refreshing to stay in such a place after he'd been cooped up in Ashton castle for so long.

The maid started a fire in the hearth as another brought in a tray covered in food. "Do my lords wish to bathe?"

"Yes, please," Lucien smiled.

The maids bowed out of the room and closed the door after them. Nox walked over to the tray of food and began to slice into the loaf of warm, freshly-baked bread with the knife that had been provided.

"How long shall we stay here, my king?" he asked quietly, spreading honey over the bread and holding it out to Lucien.

Lucien took it from Nox and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I do not know," he admitted and bit into the bread, chewing slowly. Nox nodded and sat down on the chair beside the table. Lucien swallowed the bread and sighed. "This town is fairly small, so perhaps only tonight."

Their door was suddenly flung open and the others marched inside without any regard for Lucien and Nox's privacy. Lucien glared at Michael as he unhesitatingly picked an apple and the knife off the food tray and settled himself on the floor beside the bed.

"Perhaps," he said slowly as he began to cut the apple into small slices. "We do not have to stay here any longer than the night."

"What do you mean?" Lucien asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of his voice as he watched Michael pop one of the slices into his mouth.

With a slight smile, Michael leaned back against the bed and stared at Lucien for several moments as he chewed the fruit with deliberate leisure. He finally swallowed and looked back to the apple in his hand. "I highly doubt Ley is here. We should leave at dawn and ride to Billa."

"Why?"

"Because Gideon lives there, of course."

Lucien stared at his bread in surprise. He'd forgotten about Gideon. The prophet had been at the feast along with several other Leons, but Lucien hadn't had a chance to speak to him after what had happened. He couldn't recall if the Leons had even told him they were leaving. They'd turned down his offer for allowing them to stay the night and he hadn't seen them again after they'd left the great hall. "Do you think he would be able to help us find Ley?"

Michael sighed dramatically and bit into another apple slice. "If I did not, I would not have suggested it."

Lucien glared at the side of Michael's head and moved several feet away from him.

"Michael," Sharis said reprovingly as she kicked him. "Stop that."

He laughed for a moment and sent Lucien a soppy look. "I am so sorry."

Lucien shook his head and angrily took another bite of his bread, trying to keep his temper in check. He was somewhat reluctant to follow Michael's suggestion, but only because it had been Michael who said it. But finding Lena was more important to him than attempting to spite Michael. Chewing the last of his bread, he swallowed and slowly nodded. "Then, we shall follow Michael's advice and consult Gideon."

"Wonderful," Michael said brightly as he smiled. Lucien fought back an urge to punch him. If he had learned one thing from the journey, it was that he could hardly blame Lena from repeatedly attempting to get rid of the others. It had only been five days since they'd left Ashton, but Lucien had long-since begun to wish Nox was the only one there. And perhaps Cid, too.

"How far away is Billa?" asked Nox.

"Several days ride to the east, perhaps slightly over a week," Cid supplied after a moment's pause. "It is just a small river-front village in the south-western part of Kabul."

"A week?" Lucien clasped his hands together and bit the inside of his cheek.

"I am afraid so."

Sighing, Lucien sat up straighter once more, and a determined expression settled on his face. "Well, at least we finally have a destination."

"Whether or not we will actually be able to find Ley is another matter," Michael muttered around his apple and looked into the hearth. The humor had fled his tone, and he stared morosely into the flames as they licked at the stacked of logs.

* * *

_I don't know the exact geographical arrangement of the cities in Saver, but there is a small map in one of the chapters that has some of the city names listed. I -think- Billa is in the place I wrote, but I'm not sure... So yeah, sorry if it's incorrect xP It's near the Yume River which is in Kabul, that's all I know for sure..._

_As always, I love reviews :P  
_


	7. Discovered

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

_**Note -** And here is where my original story started, though the story from here on is also of course being revised. I hope the sudden back-tracking of the chapters leading up to this one weren't confusing anyone. :P  
_

* * *

Lena stared down at her small pile of belongings she had spread out on the floor, and tried to decide what there was that she wouldn't absolutely need. After thinking for a moment, she pushed her thick traveling cloak to one side. She definitely didn't want to walk around downtown Seoul in something like that, and it was too bulky to carry. A few moments later, she picked up the more tattered articles of clothing and ran them through her fingers for a moment before putting them on top of the abandoned cloak. Everything else she crammed into her bag and tied it shut with a sigh. She silently stared at the rumpled bag, hoping she was doing the right thing.

She had already fixed a plan in her head of how she would go about returning to Korea, but she still felt a stab of guilt at leaving without telling anyone. It wasn't that she truly wanted to cut all ties with the others, but staying any longer seemed like it would have been a bad idea, both for her and for the others. She wanted a clean getaway, and didn't want to interfere with them any longer.

With a resigned shake of her head, she stood and left the room, slowly closing the door behind herself. She quickly descended the stairs and stepped into the warm, brightly lit front room of Gideon's house. Gideon and Maria looked up from the herbs they were sorting on the table and he sent her a curious smile.

"Are you finished?"

"Yeah." Lena joined them at the table and grabbed a handful of herbs. Quickly running her eyes over them, she began separating them into different kinds and setting them neatly in rows on the table in front of her. "I didn't have much to go through."

Gideon nodded and carefully tied a bundle of herbs together with a bit of string before throwing them into a nearly-full basket on the floor. "When are you planning on leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning."

He paused in his practiced movements and silently worried his fingers over the edge of a leaf for a moment. Lena could feel the penetrating gaze on the side of her head, and she glanced up to find him staring at her thoughtfully.

"...What?"

"Are you certain you do not wish to send word to the others?" he asked quietly, not seeming to notice as he squished the leaf between his fingers, releasing a sweet-smelling scent into the air.

She exasperatedly nodded her head, getting very tired of the question being asked. "I told you, I'm sure. I've already made up my mind."

"It would save them much vexation," he pressed.

She shot him an annoyed look and grabbed a piece of string to tie her now-sorted herbs together. "It would probably be the same either way. And I already told them I was leaving."

He laughed lightly and leaned back in his chair, glancing out the sunny window for a moment. "Yes, you did. In a very vague manner, and in the heat of an unneeded argument. It would have been much wiser to discuss it calmly, and somewhere more private than the entry hall of Ashton castle."

Lena snorted in amusement. "As if I could _calmly _discuss going home with those people, and expect them to leave me alone afterward. They never listen to me. Simply telling them to go away has never worked."

Gideon looked at her somewhat sadly before scraping the rest of the loose herbs toward himself and fixating his gaze on them. "You should not have involved yourself with them if you did not intend to befriend them. They consider themselves your friends, and care for you deeply. Of course they will be reluctant to part with you in such a way."

"I was never looking for friendship," Lena muttered and rested her forehead on her hand as she leaned on the table. She ran her other hand over the smoothed grains on the surface of the wood. "I don't need something like that."

Gideon threw the rest of the herbs in the basket and stood up, taking the basket with him. "Perhaps not. However, you should not assume that the others feel the same." He thrust the basket at her and smiled.

She stared at him blankly through her fingers. He wiggled the basket a little when she didn't move. "Why are you waving that at me?"

"Would you be so kind as to take these to the village?" he asked quickly, his smile becoming brighter with every word.

She sighed and snatched the basket away from him. The spicy smell of the herbs immediately filled her nose, and she coughed slightly at its strength. "Why the hell can't you do it yourself?"

His pale eyes glinted mischievously, and for a moment he looked almost identical to Michael. He quickly stepped away from the table, toward the stove. Reaching over his head, he opened a cupboard attached to the wall and began pulling things out, the sleeves of his white robe waving to and fro. "Because, Maria and I must start on dinner!" he declared.

Lena glared at the back of his head and then glanced at Maria. She shrugged slightly. Lena rolled her eyes at Gideon's abrupt change in attitude and stomped over to the front door. "Stupid old man," she muttered as she sat down heavily on the threshold and pulled on her boots. "Why even bother growing so many damn herbs if you aren't going to use them?"

She left the house and quickly made her way through the little garden, and toward the small forest nearby. Her boots made loud crunchy noises as she stepped over the leaves and twigs on the large path leading to Billa. Sighing softly, she glanced upward at the lazily waving tree branches over her head, and wondered how the others were doing. Gideon's words had made her feel uncertain for a moment, but she couldn't see any alternative that involved them staying, and her leaving. She was positive that if she'd stayed and tried to explain to them, they would be there at that very moment, annoying her.

"I am tired," a faint, whiny voice floated through the air and she froze in horror, recognizing it at once. A wondering thought of if she had just jinxed herself popped into her head.

"We just rested half an hour ago!"

Lena looked around herself wildly as the sound of horses trotting along the path just around the bend in front of her reached her ears. Nearly dropping the basket of herbs in her panic, she leapt off the path and quickly laid down as flat as she could underneath a patch of leafy bushes, hoping with all her might that she would go unnoticed and that Gideon would keep his mouth shut.

"But I am tired again."

"We will never get there if you keep wanting to stop!"

A sudden rumbling noise of a surprising volume joined in with Sean's whining.

"I am hungry."

"Not you, too!"

"Please, stop yelling at me. I cannot control my stomach. And do not say 'we only just ate,' because it has been hours."

"See? He wants a break, too."

"He did not say that! And stop mimicking my voice, Michael!"

"Come now, Sharis. I know you wish to get to Gideon's home quickly, but a small respite will not do us any harm."

"Stop encouraging him! It is pointless to rest now, we are nearly there!"

Lena rested her head on the ground, feeling torn between amusement over their ridiculous argument and anger that they had followed her. A rush of gratitude toward Gideon's seemingly spontaneous decision to have her leave the house as he made dinner calmed her slightly. The prophet may not have been able to see everything that was going to happen, but what he did see was very handy. It was his cryptic, more-than-lacking explanations that were the problem with his predictions.

The horses slowly passed Lena by, and she began to relax, only to jump violently a moment later when Sharis let out a scream only a few feet away. Lena was barely able to keep herself quiet, and she clamped a hand over her mouth to silence her breathing. Her heart began to pound once more at the unexpected noise.

"Get your hand out of there!"

"But, you-"

"Leave it alone! It is your own fault you have none left!"

"Michael, take mine and leave hers alone..."

"Oh! Thank you, Cid. You are too kind."

"No, I just want you three to shut up."

"What? They are the ones-"

"I am really not in the mood to hear it."

"Well, fine! Sorry!"

"Eight days and you three are..."

Lena's breathing slowed down to normal as their voices faded out. She slowly crawled back out of the bushes and began picking leaves out of her hair. Tugging the basket toward herself, she cautiously stood up, making sure they were out of sight before she fully straightened. She slowly stepped back on the path, scowling in the direction they'd gone. She wondered if Gideon had somehow contacted them without her knowing, or if they had come on their own. With one more moment of hesitation, she gripped the basket tighter and ran down the path, back toward Gideon's house.

She slowed as she came to the last bend and slipped into the cover of the trees, trying to be as silent as she could. Hiding behind a large tree near the edge of the wood, she peeked around the side and eyed the front of his house. They had all dismounted and Lucien was angrily yelling at Gideon.

"-saying such things, do you think I am blind? You are lying!"

Gideon shook his head calmly and tried to get Lucien to step away from him. "I am not lying. Ley is not here."

"If she is not here, why are _those_?" Lucien snapped, pointing through the door behind Gideon.

Lena mentally kicked herself as she realized she'd left her swords in the front room, leaning against the wall in plain sight.

"I said she is not here," Gideon repeated steadily, his expression turning angrier. "May I suggest you look elsewhere? You are frightening Maria."

Lucien was quiet for a moment, but then sat himself down on the ground. "You say she is not here, I shall wait until she returns, then."

Gideon sighed tiredly. "Do as you please, just stop causing such a commotion."

"Fine."

Cid crouched down beside Lucien and began talking to him quietly as Gideon went back inside the house and shut the door. Lena swore at herself, trying to think of some way she could get back inside without them noticing. None of the windows were big enough for her to squeeze through, and the only door was the one they were all in front of. Waiting for them to leave would be pointless. She knew they would sit there until Gideon gave in. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the basket furiously. All of her effort she'd put into getting away quietly had gone to waste.

She took several steadying breaths and leaned on the tree for a moment. Steeling herself against what she knew was coming, she walked out from behind the tree and approached the house, no longer bothering to stay quiet. Animosity grew with every step, and she fought to keep her face blank. It didn't take long for the others to notice her presence.

Lucien immediately jumped up, nearly knocking Cid over, and hurried toward her with an extremely relieved expression. "Ley! You are here!"

She slowed down as he stopped a few feet away, happily running his eyes over her.

"I'm here," she replied monotonously, and let all her fury leak out onto her face. Lucien's eyes widened at her expression and he took a step back, seeming to realize what a bad idea it had been walking up to her. "Great job finding me, YOU _MORONS_!" she screamed as she threw the basket at his head. He reflexively caught it, though that didn't stop a large number of herbs from flying out and landing on him. He looked at her in fright as she stood in forced silence, trembling with anger at their obliviousness.


	8. Finalities

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

* * *

Gideon and Maria sat down on the grass nearby, completing the circle they'd all formed on the ground. Lena crossed her legs and attempted to hold back the yelling she wanted to let loose in everyone's faces. She wondered if they had finally gotten a bit of realization into how she was feeling, as no one seemed to want to sit beside her, and had left large gaps at her sides. Lucien was staring pointedly away from her, at some random spot on the top of a tree, with Nox between them looking somewhat scared at being in such a dangerous place.

She gave one more sweeping look around the faces staring at her, and sighed. "You people..." she muttered and stared down at the grass poking through her fingers. She didn't even know where to start. An explanation for why she left? Or demanding one from them as to why they'd followed her yet again? She already knew what kind of reply she would get, but decided to chance it anyway. "Why'd you guys come to find me?"

"Of course we would come!" Sean burst out in a hurt voice. "We have been traveling together for years, you cannot just leave us!"

"Yes, Ley," Michael smiled. "You should know by now how persistently clingy we are."

"Exactly!"

"Why the hell do you two only agree when I don't want you to?" Lena snarled at them.

"That aside, knowing we would follow you wherever you may go, why did you inform us beforehand?" Michael raised an eyebrow. "In the past, you never gave us any warning at all before you disappeared. I would ask why you had not spoken to us of this sooner, but I am simply astonished you said anything at all."

"In case you hadn't noticed, the disappearing strategy hasn't worked. I thought perhaps telling you ahead of time would be a better option. I've been planning this for ages, be grateful I didn't up and leave a long time ago. I seriously don't want you to come with me this time."

"Well," Sean said slowly as a tiny, hesitant smile spread across his face. "You could always come back..."

"No way!"

"If you refuse to return, we have no choice but to follow you," Michael waved a finger at her.

"You do too have more choices than that!"

"Wait a minute," said Lucien uncertainly as he finally stopped staring at that tree. "Perhaps I have missed something, but, 'follow'?"

"Follow," Sean and Michael said at once, and gave each other a knowing smile.

"Follow?" Lena snapped angrily. "No following!"

Lucien turned himself around and glanced between the others. "I thought we came to..."

"What are you talking about?" Michael shot him an incredulous look and frowned.

"You are speaking as though we are not going back," Lucien said slowly.

"Yes? Why else would we have come here?"

"To bring her back," Lucien said as he pointed at Lena. She glared at him, but he ignored it and glanced at the others with fear rising on his face.

"Of course, there is that option," Michael nodded and absently scratched his chin. "However, Ley does not wish to return. Therefore, neither shall we." He looked back at Lucien and brushed some hair out of his eyes. "I thought you knew this. I told you, Arena is-"

"No!" Lucien yelled and stood up. Michael looked somewhat startled at Lucien's abrupt outburst, but quickly composed himself. "I never said I was leaving forever!"

"She knew without you saying it out loud," Michael said quietly. Lucien's face paled as they stared at one another. "Do you really think she would be so upset over you leaving the castle for a few weeks? She obviously was aware that was the last time she would see you."

Lucien shook his head, looking horrified. He slowly ran a hand over his forehead. "No, this is not what..." his voice dropped off and his eyes drifted to Lena. He looked at her pleadingly. "Ley."

She met his gaze unwaveringly, somewhat annoyed that he'd come with the others without knowing their intentions. It was obvious in the way he interacted with the others that hadn't spent enough time with them to predict what they were planning. With a sigh, Lena unfolded herself and stood up. Brushing herself off, she walked through the circle of people and grabbed Lucien's arm on the way past. "Come here. We need to talk."

He silently followed her as she led him into the house, up the stairs, and into her room. Walking to the window, she closed the wooden shutters and turned to Lucien. He was glancing about in a distressed way, like he didn't quite know what to do. "Sit," she said quietly and pointed at the bed. He flinched at her cold tone, but obeyed and sat down on the edge. She leaned against the wall across from him and slid to the floor.

They wordlessly looked at one another for several minutes. Lena had been avoiding having this conversation with him. She wished she didn't have to. Not only was it incredibly awkward, she also didn't know why he had to force her into this in the first place.

"Why did you leave?" he asked after she didn't say anything.

"You already know the answer to that," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Now then, why did you come here?"

A small smile tugged at his lips and he leaned over to rest his head on his hands. "You already know the answer to that," he echoed at the floor.

Lena leaned her head back against the cool wall and sighed as she closed her eyes. She was getting extremely tired of the endless circle she'd been walking with him. "Lucien, you're never going to understand, are you?" She paused a moment, more for time to think than for him to supply an answer. He didn't give one, anyway. She opened her eyes again and stared hard at the top of his head. "How many times do I have to distance myself from you until you'll finally see?"

He slowly lifted his head up and looked at her miserably. "I cannot help it," he whispered.

"Can't you?"

His eyes dropped back down and he remained silent.

"I know communication between us is very... lax," Lena said with a humorless smile. "So I'll say this very clearly. I'm not going back with you. I don't want to go back."

His eyes shot up to look at her again. "Ley, please-"

She held up a hand and stopped him. "Let me finish." He reluctantly fell silent, and she took a few steadying breaths. "I already told you a long time ago I was going to go home after the war, yet you keep pulling me back and pulling me back. You never," she stopped herself and clenched her fists. It was getting difficult to not yell. "It's like you never hear anything I say."

Lucien took a shaky breath and glanced about the room helplessly. "Ley, I never meant to... to do that. I just... I am sorry."

She shook her head at him. "I'm done listening to you people tell me how sorry you are for whatever the hell it is you've done to me. It may not be intentional, but at times that's even worse than if you were doing it on purpose." She stood up and shrugged wearily. "I just don't know what to do anymore, Lucien."

He stood up and stepped over to her with a fearful look. "Wait, Ley," he said cautiously and softly placed his hands on her shoulders as if afraid that she would disappear right in front of him. A part of her wished she could. His eyes darted between hers as his breathing sped up. "Please."

"No," she said softly and smiled up at him sadly.

He tried to take another step forward, but Lena put her hands on his chest and gently pushed him back again. He had taken ground too many times in the past during their talks, and she was determined to get her view across this time. "Ley, please," he repeated, his voice trembling. "Please, stay. Let me... Let me fix this."

She stared straight ahead rather than up at him, and slowly shook her head. His grip tightened around her shoulders almost painfully, but she ignored it. Pressing her lips together firmly, she resolutely looked back into his eyes. "I don't want you to fix it," she answered and softened her expression. "I'm not trying to be cruel, Lucien. I'm really not. I just, I tried so hard, so hard to get you to see how I felt." She raised a hand and brushed it across his cheek. He placed his own hand over hers and held it in place, tightly closing his eyes and standing in strained silence. She knew all too well that an internal battle was raging in his head.

"I can't stay beside you any more."

"I know," he finally whispered in an almost angry tone. "I know you said you wanted to leave. Do not think that I do not listen to you. But," his eyes opened and he looked at her straight on. "But that does not mean I can simply walk away and pretend as though I do not love you." He stepped away from her and all of the emotion was wiped from his face as if all of the feelings that had been flashing through his eyes hadn't been there in the first place. He ran his gaze over her, almost hungrily, and then turned away with a resigned look. "I suppose we should not keep the others waiting any longer," he called quietly, and left Lena standing alone in the empty room.

* * *

_I don't know why, but in my original story, I completely left something of this sort out... _

_It was annoying to write. Maybe that's why. xD Auughh I hate writing scenes like this._

_So awkward._..

_Please don't murder me, all you LucienxLena fans o_o lol_


	9. Reluctance

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

_**Note -** Ahhh! Dialogue overloooadddd...  
_

* * *

Lena stared defiantly at the other four from her renewed seat on the grass outside. She willed herself not to blink as they stared back with stubborn silence. She gripped her sleeve tightly over her crossed arms. Gideon and Maria were sitting to one side, glancing back and forth in slight amusement between the competitors.

"No."

"Yes."

"I said 'no'!"

"And I said 'yes', in case you had not noticed."

"No means no."

"Usually," Michael smiled.

"Quit it," Cid glared at him out of the corner of his eye and looked wearily at Lena. "May I ask why you are so against us coming?"

"You guys would only cause me more trouble," she answered bluntly.

"Oh," Michael breathed and nodded with an understanding look. "So your life was perfect before we met. I see."

"Shut up!" Lena yelled at him as he twirled a bit of his silvery hair around in his hand. "It was anything but perfect! But you all would only cause me countless more problematic situations! For one thing, my house is much smaller than Gideon's, and it would be extremely uncomfortable! And you don't know the language we speak there! You guys don't even know how to use chopsticks, never mind the fact you don't have birth certificates or identification numbers! Taking you back with me would be like trying to help aliens from Mars fit into society!" She paused a moment and stared at them. "I doubt I could even pass you off as Americans."

"American...?" Cid's eyebrows drew together in confusion. His mouth open and closed several times as if trying to decide what to say, but he remained silent.

"I have no idea what you just said," Michael finally said into the silence.

"I don't know how to explain it in a way you would understand!"

"Okay, how about this," Michael shifted in the grass and leaned forward. "Beginnings are always a very good place to start." He stared at her expectantly.

She rolled her eyes and muttered sarcastically, "Oh, thanks. That's so helpful."

"You are welcome."

She let the silence stretch on for a while before taking a deep breath and announcing, "Once upon a time, I was born."

Michael stared at her expressionlessly for a moment and then laughed and slapped a hand on the ground. "I did not mean quite that far back. I was thinking more of how you came here."

"I fell in a river."

"...That is a little vague."

"Well, excuse me for not understanding it."

Michael waved a hand in annoyance and thought for a moment. "Okay, I shall be more specific with my questions, then."

"That doesn't mean I'll be specific with my answers."

"To start, where are you from?"

"Far, far away."

"Am I supposed to guess?"

"No. You're supposed to mind your own business."

Sharis suddenly slapped the back of Lena's head and glared at her. "Stop being unreasonable!"

Lena rubbed the back of her head and frowned. "I could say the same thing to you! Why are you all so determined to chase me?"

"Because we love you," she replied at once. "Why must you treat us as if we are strangers you only just met yesterday? You are very important to us, is it really so strange how we wish to be with you?" She silently looked Lena in the eye for a moment, before whispering, "Do you really hate us so much you would abandon us?"

Lena opened her mouth and inhaled sharply at Sharis' hurt expression, but stopped herself and sighed. She knew she was losing the battle. "No, I don't hate you. You've all gone through hell to help me, I don't want to take away your opportunity to make new lives for yourselves here."

The others shifted uncomfortably at her words and glanced about one another. Lena felt slightly embarrassed at saying such affectionate things and picked a blade of grass to occupy herself. She vaguely wondered what was wrong with her. She'd never allowed anyone aside from Hyun-Min to draw out her real feelings, but these people kept pulling them to the surface with only a few words.

"Ley," Sharis smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "We do not want to have lives here if you are not there to share in them."

"I did not give up my throne so you could tell me to go make a new life for myself somewhere," Sean said quietly, steadily meeting her gaze. His serious expression made him look years older than he usually did.

Lena wordlessly let the blade of grass slip through her fingers and she didn't look up for several minutes. Their persistence was beginning to come into perspective, though she didn't want it to. She scratched her nose for a moment and then looked up. "I'm from Korea."

They looked at her blankly. She hadn't hoped for much more than that.

"...Where?" Michael asked in confusion.

"Korea. It's," Lena started, waved at hand to her left, and continued, "a country several thousand miles east of here, in Asia."

The bewilderment seemed to only increase in their expressions as she spoke.

"So," Michael began, but stopped and stared off into space for a moment. "You fell into a river... In Korea, I assume," he glanced at her and she nodded. His eyes cleared as realization spread across his face. "Ah, I see. It all makes sense, now."

Sean shot him a glance and then looked back to Lena. "Wait. It does..?"

"Of course," Michael continued. "Ariana was a Leon. Like all from the Leon Tribe, she had a special ability."

Lena nodded. "Eleanor pushed Ariana and I into the Yume River and Ariana sent me to Korea."

"Which explains why she was able to bring you back through the river when we needed you."

Sean still looked confused. Lena couldn't help but sympathize with him. Even she was getting mixed up over what'd been going on the past couple years. She shrugged at him. "Well, there you go. There's your explanation."

He looked at her in a slightly annoyed way over her dismissive attitude, but Michael started talking again before he could ask anything. "Another question!"

"What?"

"If you are from so far away, how can you speak our language?"

She sighed and her face involuntarily twisted into a frown. "Now, there is the complicated part."

"Oh, yes, that last explanation was not complicated at all," Sean cut in, sarcasm dripping across his words. Lena nearly laughed at how much like Michael he'd sounded.

"Okay, well..." She stared at the ground for a moment, trying to piece things together so they would make sense to them. Nothing clarifying came to mind. "Not to be even more confusing, but I didn't just physically come from far away."

"What?" Sean's eyebrows were nearly touching each other as his forehead scrunched up in utter bewilderment.

"To be honest, I figured it would've been obvious, after some thought. I mean, you've never heard of Korea before now. How would someone from Korea know how to speak English if English-speaking countries like the ones here in Europe weren't somehow influential on the countries in Asia?"

"Ley," Sean sighed. "That is anything but obvious. Please, stop speaking in riddles. You are giving me a headache..."

"I'm not doing on purpose! I said I don't know how to explain it!"

"Europe is not influential on Asia," Michael repeated her words thoughtfully. "_Yet_, that is. I would assume in the future people will eventually explore other places throughout the world."

"Exactly!" Lena said, feeling relieved that she had finally made progress. "In the future."

"This is not becoming any clearer," Sean frowned slightly. Michael gave him a pitying look out of the corner of his eye and Sean turned to glare at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Shut up, and pay attention. What year is it?" Lena demanded.

Sean turned back to her in surprise. "It is the year 1343, of course." He looked somewhat proud of himself for knowing something she didn't.

"When I left Korea, it was 2002, and it's been two years since then, so," Lena thought for a moment, ignored Sean's sudden incomprehensible noises of shock, and calculated the difference in her head. "I'm from 661 years in the future."

"Oh, impressive," Michael looked at her wide-eyed.

"B-but," Sean sputtered at her. "You... That is not... possible."

"Obviously it is, since here I am." She cleared her throat and stretched her legs out in front of herself. "Society has advanced in knowledge further than this one by almost seven centuries," she said slowly. "Hence why I said it was completely different, and that you wouldn't fit in. Most things there you guys wouldn't understand. A lot of them would probably be frightening."

"Like what?" Sharis asked curiously.

"Well, like... We have things kind of like a cart made of metal, and they aren't pulled by animals or anything, and with a push of a lever, they can move far faster than any horse. And we can fill an entire house with light with a flick of a finger. We can cook meals in seconds. People have even traveled to the moon and back."

Sean looked like he was about to pass out, but Michael sighed and leaned back with his hands resting on the grass behind him. "That does not sound so intimidating to me. Saying we are unfit to live in such a place is a weak excuse."

"It's not weak," Lena snapped at him. "You guys would be much more comfortable living here where you actually know _how_ to live!"

"We could learn," he smirked at her. "After all, you seem to have had no problems adjusting to living _here_, regardless of the vast differences between our times."

"Of course I had problems," she scowled. "But regression is easier than progression."

"I am not convinced. We are all able-bodied adults here, perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves. I do not see how this is such a terrible change."

Lena looked from face to face desperately. "Why are you so eager to give up your lives to come with me? Sharis, you just got Brenna back! And Sean," she turned toward him. "What about your parents?"

"Oh, I spoke to them before I left," he said quietly and stared down at his lap. "They..."

"They have decided that he is a good-for-nothing prince, like everyone already knew, and allowed him to choose for himself," Michael suddenly announced. Sean gave an outraged scream and jumped on Michael. Lena watched their fight for a moment before standing and glaring down at them. She quickly turned away and began to walk off.

"Ley, come back!" Michael called after her between laughs as he shoved Sean off him. "We are just joking!"

"I'm not coming back until you guys say you won't follow me!"

Cid's hand suddenly clamped around her arm and turned her back around. "Ley, just listen to us."

"I did listen! You're the ones not listening to me!"

"Ley," Sharis cut in. "Just trust us." She stared at Lena for a moment and smiled as the other two walked up behind her. "We can handle it."

"You don't know the extent of what you're trying to get yourself into."

"You are right," she nodded. "However, that does not make us want to go any less."

Lena didn't know what to do. She definitely didn't want to take them with her, but she knew they'd still go even if she tried to get away by herself. She had far too much experience with them to know that they were not going to give up. Each of them had enough stubbornness to match hers, it was nearly impossible to convince them to do something they didn't want to. Lena stopped trying to pry Cid's fingers off her arm and looked at each of them in turn. Determination was blazing at her through their eyes and she sighed resignedly. She knew there was no going back, now.

"Don't complain about your lives when you see what it's like there. And don't-"

Sean suddenly jumped on Lena and hugged her as tightly as he could. "We are going with you!" he cheered into her ear.

"Get off me!" she yelled and attempted to free herself. Sean held on tighter, laughing loudly. The others wore relieved expressions as they watched from the side. Their elation at Lena's reluctant consent only made her mood drop further.


	10. Departure

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

* * *

Lena stared doubtfully into the trees as the morning sun began to peek over the tops. The others' enthusiasm over their conversation yesterday had been somewhat infectious, but now that she'd had a night to sleep on it, she was starting to feel anxious again. Lena had been hoping that they would show at least a little reluctance at leaving Scotland behind forever, as Lucien had. She couldn't understand how Sean and Sharis could immediately drop their chance at being with their families when she had been fighting so hard to get that chance for herself. She wasn't sure if her 'family' was even still there. If she was able to return, would Hyun-Min still be there, alive and waiting? He'd been in a coma, and for all Lena knew, he'd died a long time ago of his injuries. And if he were alive, there was still the massive complications of housing and money, neither of which Lena had. She had a bank account, but had no idea how she was supposed to access it with no bank card, no identification, and no idea what the account number was. And she was positive her apartment, and most likely all of her possessions, were no longer at her disposal. Lena wouldn't have been surprised if she returned to find that Hyun-Min's mother had used her power to wipe out all traces of Lena and her mother's existence.

All doubts aside, she still wanted to go back. She knew she couldn't return things to how they were before, and she didn't particularly want to, either, but she hoped that one piece of her life would still be there, waiting. A small smile stretched across her face as images of Hyun-Min popped into her mind. She sighed happily and ran her fingers over the necklace he'd given her as an excitement began to grow at the idea of finally getting to see him again after so long.

A clatter made her turn her head, and she looked up at Gideon as he leaned out the front door. She felt a pang of guilt as she looked at the tired lines around his eyes and the disheveled look of his long, silver hair which was usually tied back very neatly. They had stayed up very late last night, as the others had been too excited to go to sleep in a timely manner. It looked like sleep deprivation didn't agree with the old Leon. "Ley?"

"What?"

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah," she nodded and patted her bag that was draped across her lap. She stood up and adjusted her swords on her belt as Gideon's head disappeared back into the house. He stepped out again a moment later followed by Maria and the other six.

Sean gave a wide yawn and he blinked at Lena blearily as he stopped beside her and rubbed his blue eyes. Lena watched in mild surprise as Lucien and Nox stood off to one side, detached from her and the other four. Lucien was once again avoiding looking at her. She sighed inwardly at his evasive behavior. He always seemed to either follow her around almost as closely as Sean did, or spent his time pretending she didn't exist. It was going to take a while before things were normal between them again.

"Do you all have everything?" Gideon asked quietly. Sean jumped slightly at the sudden noise, as if he'd been falling asleep standing up. He gave a bewildered look around.

Lena elbowed the groggy prince and then nodded at Gideon. "I do."

"Yes."

"I do."

"Me, too."

"Y-e-e-s..." Sean covered his mouth as he yawned again and shook his head for a moment.

Everyone automatically turned toward Lucien and Nox when they didn't answer. Lucien glanced around guardedly, but stayed silent. Nox looked up at him with a small, knowing grin.

"And you?" Gideon smiled at him.

Lucien's eyes flickered briefly to Lena's face and he looked back at the prophet with a complicated expression. Gideon looked like he was very much enjoying putting Lucien on the spot. "Well, yes, we do. But-"

"Perfect," Gideon clapped his hands together and began herding them in the direction of the river. Lena smirked to herself at his energetic efforts to make them leave. Lucien stayed in one spot and watched as they walked off. Lena turned after a few steps and looked back at him expectantly.

"What are you doing?"

He hesitantly looked at her, and ran his fingers down the strap of his bag. "I... I do not think I should..." his voice dropped off and he glanced toward the river almost wistfully.

The others paused to watch as Lena quickly walked back toward him. She stopped directly in front of him and stared up in annoyance. "Do you want to come, or not?"

Lucien stood silently for a moment, staring into space. Lena watched patiently, already knowing how much conflict he was going through. After having given Lena lectures on how important his kingdom was to him, it wasn't as though he could immediately make the choice. He finally looked at her awkwardly and muttered, "I thought you did not want me to go with you."

Lena smirked up at him and slapped his arm as hard as she could. He looked down at his arm and back up at her in annoyance as he rubbed the place she'd hit him. She took a few steps backward, not missing the relief that passed across Lucien's eyes at her behavior toward him. "Going with us and what we talked about are two entirely different things. It's your choice to make whether you want to come or stay, Lucien. And yours, too, Nox."

Nox looked surprised that she'd included him in the offer. He looked up at Lucien eagerly. Lucien shot him an angry look and sighed. Several more long, silent moments passed. Michael gave an impatient noise, walked briskly past Lena, and grabbed Lucien's arm. Lucien stared at him in horror as a wide smile spread across his face when he turned away and headed back the way he'd come.

"I have decided, you two are coming with us!" he announced over his shoulder, forcefully dragging the reluctant king along behind him. Nox trailed alongside Lucien and laughed behind one of his hands.

"That is not your decision to make!" Lucien yelled at him and tried to take his arm back.

"Oh?" Michael gleefully yanked him along faster. "You were taking so long answering, I thought perhaps you needed someone to intervene. So, I did."

Lena smiled with relief and followed after them as Lucien started yelling at Michael to let go of his arm. She was happy to see them all so spirited after everything that had happened. She slowly began to realize that their moods had the power to change her own, and she sighed as she ran over her conversation with Gideon from yesterday. Perhaps she needed them around after all. The thought of having them with her to face her new life seemed welcoming rather than irritating like she'd initially felt.

She turned to smile at Gideon and Maria when they stopped on the riverbank. "Thanks, for everything."

Gideon nodded briefly and smiled back. "You are welcome." His grin abruptly faded as Lena bent down to hug Maria and he watched jealously. Lena ignored him and patted the small girl on the back.

"Bye, Maria."

"Goodbye, Ley," Maria smiled as Lena straightened again.

Lena looked back to Gideon and he immediately looked out over the river, his face blank. She smirked at him and turned away. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll hug you, too." Gideon looked at her in annoyance and crossed his arms as she walked into the river. She stared in confusion as she passed Lucien and Michael while she waded deeper. They were both completely soaked as if they'd gone underwater. "What happened to-"

"Nothing!" Lucien snapped and began wringing water out of his long, dark hair as he sent murderous glares in Michael's direction. His face flushed with embarrassment. The composed, mature, and kingly aura he'd had at the feast was long gone, and Lena was having a somewhat difficult time keeping her face blank as she watched his flustered actions. Traveling certainly had changed him in a very short time. Or perhaps it was Michael's obnoxiousness.

Lena glanced at Michael, but he was laughing too hard to ask anything of. She shook her head and continued deeper into the river, not really needing or wanting an explanation. It was easy to imagine what had happened while she wasn't looking. Lena stopped as the water lapped around her belt, and she lifted a coil of rope off her shoulder and began to unwind it.

"L-Ley," Sean sloshed up to her, his teeth chattering. "Are you s-sure you know what you are doing?"

"Of course," she frowned and gave him one of the ends of the rope, hoping she was telling him the truth. "Tie yourselves on, I don't want to lose any of you along the way."

As he shakily moved to obey, Lena watched as Sharis shoved her blue skirts under the water. "This is freezing!" she yelled in annoyance as her skirts continued to billow back up around her.

"You should have worn pants like the rest of us!" Sean looked at her with a superior expression, though it didn't look very impressive as he trembled with the cold, and handed the rope to Cid.

"Stupid prince!" Sharis yelled and threw a handful of water at him. "That would not have helped in the slightest!"

The water hit his face and he blinked in surprise. "What was that for?" he demanded indignantly, and shook the water out of his curly blond hair.

"Serves you right!" she said as she stuck out her chin triumphantly and took the rope from Cid.

"You were going to get soaked through in a moment, anyway," Cid pointed out.

Sean glanced past Cid to Michael who was laughing at him. His cheeks flushed and he flung water at Michael. Michael dodged at the last moment, and the water instead hit Lena. She blinked slowly as the water dripped off her bangs, into her eyes. Sean froze in horror for a moment and then hid behind Cid as she lifted a hand and wiped the drops off, willing herself to not murder Sean right then and there.

"Stop fighting, you morons," she snarled and glared at him as he peered cautiously at her over Cid's shoulder. "Hurry up and get tied on!" She watched huffily as they hurried to obey, and Lucien finally gave her the other end of the rope.

As Lena turned away, Sean let out a whoosh of breath and stepped out from behind Cid. "I thought she was going to stab me," he muttered.

Lena ignored him and waded out into the river, pulling the others along behind her in a line. She glanced back briefly and waved a hand toward the bank where Gideon and Maria still stood. Gideon smiled and bowed toward them as they continued. The morning sunlight was glinting off his hair and robes, giving him the unearthly glowing appearance that was common to those of the Leon Tribe. In contrast to his silvery sheen, Maria was completely golden. Lena smirked to herself, noticing for the first time how the father and daughter complimented each other nicely. With one last nod at the shiny pair, Lena turned away from the bank and concentrated on not slipping over the smooth stones on the riverbed.

"This should be deep enough," she called back as the water started lapping around her shoulders, and it was getting difficult for her to stay upright. She suppressed a shiver and looked over her shoulder. "Everyone ready?" At the not-very-ready-looking nods she received, she took a deep breath, ducked her head under the water, and allowed herself to be swept away by the strong current.


	11. Arrivals

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

_**Note -** All **bold text** is spoken in Korean._

* * *

The current was stronger than Lena had thought it would be, and she was swiftly pushed downstream with the others. She slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. With the clear water and morning sunlight shining down on the river, she could see for quite a ways in every direction though she was so far under. Rounded rocks and aquatic plants coated the riverbed, and silvery fish darted out of the way as she and the others floated past. It was a very pretty scene, but not one Lena could spend much time admiring as her lungs were quickly beginning to burn for air. She looked around worriedly, wondering if she should start swimming to the surface. With a glance back at the others, it looked like they were thinking the same thing. Lucien extended his hand to her, and she hesitantly took it, feeling slightly reassured as he gripped her hand in his.

Lena looked upward at the steadily weakening sun rays. A pale light suddenly appeared nearby and she turned toward it, feeling extremely relieved. It was floating through the water, keeping pace with them, but somehow looking more like it was flying very slowly. It was swiftly joined in by countless others, and they gathered about, their translucent clothing and bodies glimmering in the dimness. Lena smiled as one detached from the others and approached her with wide-spread arms and a warm expression. Her pale fingers brushed against Lena's face before she wrapped her in an embrace.

_My baby..._ a voice echoed in Lena's head, blocking out the noise of rushing water.

_Ariana?_ Lena looked into her eyes.

She smiled happily and put a hand on Lena's cheek. _Are you ready to return home?_

_Yes._ A few bubbles escaped Lena's mouth as she smiled back, the anticipation growing in her chest.

Ariana nodded once and took her hand off Lena's cheek leaving slight warmth where her fingers had been resting. Slowly she and the others started to glow brighter, filling the river with a blazing white light. When Lena could barely stand to look at her anymore, Ariana smiled once more, a tear running down her face. _Goodbye, my daughter, my Lena... I love you._ The others echoed her farewells in a ringing chorus. She faded into brilliant light before Lena's eyes, and she felt a sharp tug on the rope. Lena reflexively gripped Lucien's hand tighter and closed her eyes as they swirled through the water. Lena felt him pull her against his chest and wrap his arms around her protectively.

The pull on the rope stopped as abruptly as it had started, and they came to a halt in the lightly swirling water. Lena opened her eyes again, but was met with a greenish haze instead of the clear water of the Yume River. A faint light from the sun shone above them. Lucien let go of Lena and she kicked her legs and felt the disturbances in the water as everyone did the same, rising upward in unison. Breaking through the surface, Lena gasped for air and coughed, feeling as though she had inhaled a gallon of river water somewhere along the way and hadn't noticed until just then. The others noisily breathed in air beside her.

"Thank... Thank goodness," Lena managed to wheeze. She blinked slightly in the bright morning sunlight, slowly treading water to get some energy back. Lena turned around in the water to take in her surroundings. The riverbank had scattered wooden docks across it, with a large number of small fishing boats securely attached with ropes at the ends of each platform. Fishermen and sailors were out on the boats and walking on the docks, going about their daily tasks. Further inland were buildings, small warehouses to store fish and equipment, areas for vehicle parking. Behind them in the distance could be seen tall office buildings and stores with the sun glinting off their shiny surfaces as they stretched into the sky. The sun was shining through gaps in the scraggly clouds above the pale horizon. A warm wind that smelled strongly of water and fish was blowing across the surface of the river, causing small waves to break out along the shoreline.

"What," said Nox in amazement. "Where are we?"

Lena slowly looked up, and saw the familiar sights that she had left behind so long ago. She could see the spot where she'd had been stabbed, and fell into the river. It seemed like decades ago that she'd left here against her will, but she'd finally returned. "We're here," Lena slowly replied, smiling at their astonished faces.

One of the smaller boats suddenly roared to life and shot off from the dock it had been floating beside. It was a considerable distance away, but that didn't stop several of the others behind Lena from yelling in fright as it cut through the water. Lena sent a glare over her shoulder. "Be quiet. It's just a boat, it's not going to hurt you. It's not even coming this way." Her words didn't stop them from sending cautious looks toward there the boat was disappearing, as if they thought it might attack them at any moment.

**"Hey, you!"** a man yelled in Korean from the dock behind them. **"What do you think you're doing?"** Lena turned to face him and was somewhat surprised to see that many people had stopped in their tracks to see what was happening.

"What did he say?" Sean asked, staring in confusion at Lena. She knew it wouldn't be the first time she would be asked that. She began to mentally prepare herself for a day full of interrogations.

**"None of your business,"** Lena snapped at the man, and tugged on the rope. Switching back to English, Lena called back, "Come on, everyone." They nodded and started to follow her to the dock, still gawking at the unfamiliar sight before their eyes, and looking much calmer now that the boat was no longer in sight. Taking hold of the edge of the dock, Lena pulled herself out of the water and sat down on the edge of the wooden planks. Pulling themselves up, everyone dropped down beside her in exhaustion. River water dripped off the tips of their hair and clothing, and pooled around them.

"T-that was the most horrib-ble experience of-of my life," Sharis declared, shivering from fear and the chill air. "I thought we were going t-to drown!"

Sean nodded in agreement and pointlessly used his sopping wet sleeve to try to wipe the water off his face. He frowned down at the dripping fabric in annoyance as if it was at fault for his sogginess. "What were those things that surrounded us in the river?"

Lena paused a moment before answering. "Those were the people Eleanor killed and threw in the river."

Sean's eyes widened in horror and he gave a searching glance back at the water as if they'd still be there. "O-oh..."

Lena looked up at the sailor who still stood nearby, looking extremely confused. A large crowd was already starting to gather behind him, humming with conversation. **"I'm going to have to ask you all to leave. This is a work area,"** the sailor said to them huffily, crossing his arms to hide his surprise at seeing people suddenly appear out of nowhere.

**"Fine,"** Lena replied with irritation, and stood up shakily, slowly untying the rope from around her middle.

"What did he say?" asked Sean.

"He wants us to leave," Lena said, pulling Sharis to her feet and retrieving the rope. "They're trying to work here, we're in the way."

**"Eh?"** the sailor muttered, looking even more confused than before. **"American?"**

**"No,"** Lena replied, coiling up the wet rope and throwing it on top of the dock, not needing it anymore. She gave the man a cold look. **"We're leaving, sorry for intruding." **Striding across the dock as quickly as she could, she parted the crowd that had gathered, and left the area. A low buzz of conversation followed in her wake.

"Ley, what did you say to him?" Sean asked curiously.

"Nothing important. I warned you that you wouldn't understand," Lena said, glancing at him as they got to a main street. "Come on, people are staring at us."

"Can you teach me to speak Korean?" he asked eagerly.

Lena nodded, running her eyes over the nearby street signs, trying to refresh her mental map of the city. "I was going to whether you asked me or not. It's essential that you learn it, since you'll be living here."

"The houses are so tall! And everyone is dressed so strangely," Sharis said, looking this way and that at all the people around her, most of which were returning her look of amazement.

"No. _We're _the ones dressed strangely. Come on, walk faster," Lena said, trying to ignore all the stares. Tugging at the ends of her coat, she began to wring the river water out of the thick fabric. She winced as she wiggled her toes around and felt her boots slosh unpleasantly from the water trapped inside. She hoped her swords hadn't gotten too much water inside the sheaths, but she wasn't about to pull them out in public to check. People were already going out of their way to give them a wide sphere of avoidant space for their appearance, and pulling out swords would only make people think they were maniacs.

"Where are we going?" Cid asked, speeding up his walking to keep up with Lena as he also fruitlessly tried to get his clothing drier.

"Myung-Sung High. A place called a school, teenagers are educated there. I went there as well, before everything happened," Lena replied quickly, turning down a less populated street. Quickly winding her way through the scattered crowds of people, she listened to the group's chatter behind her as they marveled over how strange everything looked. Smiling to herself, she turned onto another street.

Suddenly Sean let out a loud scream, which was followed by several frightened yells from the rest of the group. Lena jumped in surprise and turned around. "Sean! What the hell are you doing back there?" she asked, glaring at him. They were looking terrified as though the boat from the river had somehow chased them down.

"Ley! What is that thing?" Sean yelled and ran over to Lena, spraying water all over the place as he grabbed her upper arm to turn her in the direction of whatever had frightened him. "That! That huge beast!" he said, pointing wildly at a car which had passed them by moments before, and was disappearing around the corner of a building.

"Let me go," she said, trying to take back her arm from his vice-like grip. "That's one of the things I told you about. It's called a car."

"A car?" repeated Lucien, looking in the direction of where it had gone. Nox was hiding behind him, clutching at the back of Lucien's coat.

"Don't walk in front of one, and you'll be fine," Lena said, crossing the street with a still-terrified Sean in tow. "See those?" Lena pointed at the traffic lights dangling over the intersections. "When the one facing us is green, we can cross. If it's red or yellow, stay put. It changes colors to let people take turns crossing the road."

"What happens if it changes while we are crossing?" Sharis asked.

"Just walk faster. The people in the cars won't hit you intentionally, but you still shouldn't get in their way if you can help it."

She nodded and determinedly grabbed Lena's other arm that Sean wasn't holding on to. It was going to take Lena a very long time to get her patience in order for introducing them to all the new technology.

After fifteen minutes of walking and trying to get Sean to stop jumping in surprise every time a new vehicle came into his field of vision, Lena slowed down to a halt next to an imposing-looking stone wall, feeling extremely relieved that they'd finally arrived. "We're here."


	12. Reunions

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

_**Note -** All **bold text** is spoken in Korean._

_At long last, this is the final part I was revising. Any of you readers who didn't notice, all of the chapters leading up to this one have been revised and changed quite a bit from how this fic was originally. Chapter 13 on will be new chapters rather than rewritten old ones.  
_

* * *

Lena looked up and down the wall that surrounded the school campus, and smiled slightly. It still looked as it had when she lived there in the dorms. Or at least, what she could see sticking up over the wall looked the same. She shook off Sean and Sharis' grips from her arms and tried to decide the best way to enter.

"This is your place of education?" Nox asked, looking interestingly up and down the span of the wall. "Ah! Is that the entrance over there?" he asked, pointing at the front gate to the school grounds further down the wall. He stepped purposely toward the gate.

"Wait," Lena quickly grabbed his shoulder before he could get far, stopping him in mid-step. He quickly righted himself and turned around, mumbling an apology. "We can't go through there, we'd attract too much attention and get thrown out." And probably arrested, she added to herself silently. Looking up at the wall, she measured the height. "We should go over the top of the wall."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Sean asked, looking annoyed at how tall it was. "I cannot jump that high."

"We are here if you need help," Lucien added.

"Oh, right." Sean looked back at the wall with a much more relaxed expression, and nodded.

"For as simple as you are," Michael said quietly as he kept his face blank. "You are very blind to the obvious things around you."

"Be quiet, girly man!"

"Oh, such tough words for such a young child."

"Stop calling me a child!" Sean's face grew red as he looked at Michael's amused smile with as much anger as he could muster.

Lena groaned and started walking in the opposite direction of the gate. "Just shut up, and come on."

"Where are you going?" Sean abandoned his glaring match with Michael and ran to catch up with her. "We can just climb over right here, can we not?"

"We have to find the right spot, I don't want to wander all over the grounds to get to where I want to go. There's a lot of open area in there, we would get seen very easily, especially in these clothes," Lena explained, glancing down at her soggy attire. "Even in the uniform that the school requires students to wear, we'd still get seen. During class sessions, students aren't allowed to wander around without permission."

As they reached the back side of the school, Lena halted everyone again. "This is a good spot, we're near to the building we need to get into," she said and took a step toward the wall. "I'll go first and make sure the way is clear. Sharis, you go last." Glancing around to make sure the area was deserted, Lena leapt lightly into the air and grabbed hold of the top edge of the wall with her fingers.

"Why do I have to go last?" Sharis asked from the ground.

There was silence for a moment, and then Cid muttered, "Please remember what you are wearing."

Lena rolled her eyes as Sharis made a noise of realization.

"Ley, we could have..." Lucien called up in a somewhat exasperated tone.

"I can do it by myself, thank you." Getting a better grip and ignoring the sigh from Lucien, Lena pulled herself up over the wall. Swinging her right leg over the ledge, she managed to clamber on top. Lena scanned the area below her perch. There were several trees and bushes planted in random spots around the grassy stretch of grounds. One small building extended off the main school. No one was in sight. Turning back and crouching down, she offered her hand to Sean. "No one is here. You, next."

He glanced disbelievingly from her hand up to her face. "What? You cannot lift me up there."

Sighing, Lena looked down on him. "Just hurry up and take my hand, Sean. Cid, can you give him a boost?"

Cid nodded and stood by the wall with his fingers interlocked for Sean to step onto. Sean rolled his eyes as if he were simply doing this to humor her. He carefully put his booted foot onto Cid's calloused hands as he stretched his own hand toward Lena's. "Like this will help you pull me-" Sean's mutterings were cut short by a gasp as Lena quickly pulled him upward onto the wall to stand beside her. "Why are you so strong?" he spluttered at her as he steadied himself.

"Stop your whining and help me get Michael up here," she snapped, putting her hand on his shoulder to help him regain his balance.

"There is no need to do that, Ley," Michael said with a light laugh. Sean and Lena looked to the left to see Michael standing on the wall, running his fingers through his hair.

Sean glanced back down at the ground and then up at Michael. "How did you get up here?"

"I know a weakling such as yourself could never handle pulling me up, so I did it on my own," Michael said, smiling at Sean as if he had just done some wonderfully selfless deed. "Quite easily, really."

"Why, you!" Sean started to head toward Michael with his fist raised.

"Stop that, you idiot!" Lena said, grabbing a fold of Sean's cloak before he could swing at Michael, which would most likely have resulted in Sean falling off the wall, injuring himself rather than Michael. "Leave him be, and help me pull up Lucien."

"Ah, no need for that, either, Ley."

Lena looked behind herself to find the rest of the men on the wall already.

"We climbed up while you three were fighting. Again." Cid smiled humorlessly.

Lena sighed. "Then Sharis, next." She leaned over the edge and offered her hand to her. Sharis immediately took it and firmly grasped Lena's hand as she easily lifted her up to stand beside Cid. "Okay, we've managed to get up here without being noticed. Now, in we go." Lena grabbed Sharis and picked her up, hooking her arms under the girl's thin legs and across her back, almost getting hit in the face with the bow that she had slung across one shoulder.

"No, wait! Ley!" Sharis exclaimed in embarrassment. "I can jump down by myself, put me do-."

"Too late." Lena leapt off the wall, landing in the grassy area below with a soft thump. "We can't have your skirts flying all over the place. You should've worn pants."

"L-like I would wear those!" Sharis yelled as she was set down. She patted her skirts into order and shot Lena an offended look.

The rest of the group jumped down behind them, landing noiselessly in the grass, and Sean laughed, "Ley is always so impulsive."

"Be quiet," Lena silenced him, for fear of being heard by someone inside the nearby building. "Sharis, women in this world wear pants all the time. Deal with it," she whispered, stalking away. "They're much easier to move around in. You should try it sometime."

"She probably does not want to turn into a man like you," Michael said with a serious face.

"Shut up," Lena snarled at him over her shoulder. Drawing closer to the building, the sounds of people shouting inside could be heard.

"I do not think we should go in there," Sharis looked toward the door of the building. "It sounds like people are fighting."

"They should be," Lena said bluntly, and walked forward, pausing outside one of the windows. She leaned to one side slightly and peeked in. The room was larger than it appeared on the outside, with many other large windows open to let in a breeze. The floor was polished wood, shining as if it had just been waxed. Two doors were placed in the wall to the left, with small signs attached labeling them in Korean as the men's and ladies' locker rooms. A larger, closed door that Lena knew led to the rest of the school was placed across the room. Scattered around the room in pairs stood near 20 people in long, black tied up robes, holding long swords made of bamboo at the ready. Some of them were wearing large masks which obscured their faces, and large pieces of chest armor. Several people were seated on the floor and were watching the others' matches. Nostalgia flooded Lena's mind as she looked at the familiar sight of the kumdo room.

"No teachers," she muttered and quickly walked to the door.

"W-wait, Ley-"

Lena ignored Sharis' attempts to stop her and opened the door. Stepping inside with the others right behind, it didn't take long for the students to notice them.

**"Who the heck are you?"**

**"They look like foreigners."**

**"Nice observation of the obvious, moron."**

**"Wait a minute, isn't that..."**

Firmly planting her feet on the floor, Lena crossed her arms and smiled. **"Hello, everyone."**

The people stood still, and none said a word. A few suddenly dropped their swords as some of the people sitting down abruptly stood and ran over, all shouting at the same time and crowding around Lena. She could feel everyone behind her tense up, and heard the metallic noise of swords being drawn out and the sound of Sharis nocking an arrow.

She gave an annoyed back look to the others who were getting into their fighting stances. "Put those away!"

**"Captain!" **

**"Where have you been?"**

**"We thought you were dead!" **

**"Lena-sunbae!"**

Lena tried to calm the group down, with little success. **"I'm back, everyone,"** Lena yelled over the noise and pushed them away as they tried to hug her. **"Stop! You're all acting like a chaotic mob!"** Lena disentangled herself from the swirling mass, and they quieted down slightly. The others, seeing that Lena wasn't being murdered, slowly lowered their weapons, but didn't put them away. The students eyed them with a mixture of fear and curiosity. Masks were removed and the ecstatic faces of Lena's former kumdo team smiled at her excitedly. Only the ones who were first years during the last of her time as captain were still there.

**"Lena?"**

Lena turned around at the call, eyes widening. One of the masked people nearby dropped his sword and was standing as still as if he were paralyzed.

She could recognize his voice anywhere, even if she had been away almost two years, even if he was wearing a helmet that muffled what he said, even if there was a large crowd of overly-excited people next to her, still shouting random things. **"Hyun-Min?"**

The masked figure raised his arms in a vague way and he nodded. **"L-Lena..."** He started to walk toward her and the crowd of students hastily moved out of his way. Lena ran at him without reserve, almost knocking him over as they collided. She flung her arms around him and hugged him as tightly as she could. She could feel his body shaking with tears as he embraced her back. She fought back the urge to cry as he repeated her name over and over.

Lena leaned back slightly so she could see him. He very reluctantly unwound his arms slightly. Smirking up at his mask, Lena wiped her face on the back of one hand. **"You're wearing the ho-myun. Is it safe to assume your feet no longer hurt?"**

With a watery chuckle, he nodded. He reached backward with one hand to tug at the strings on his mask. They came loose and he lifted the mask off his head and dropped it on the floor at his feet. His short black hair was stuck to his head with perspiration from his kumdo matches, and his skin was slick, but his soft brown eyes were as bright and energetic as ever, taking in her appearance.

**"I can't believe you're back,"** Hyun-Min said quietly, his smile faltering. **"I was so afraid that my mother had killed you after I got injured. Where have you been? I woke up in the hospital a few weeks after that bastard hit me over the head, and no one knew where you had gone... And what in the world are you wearing?"** he ended in bewilderment.

Lena glanced over her shoulder at the crowd of students staring at them and whispering among themselves. **"I'll tell you later. It's a very long story."**

Hyun-Min looked up toward the doorway and started as if he'd only just then noticed the others. **"Who are they?"**

**"Ah, they're my friends. They insisted on coming back with me."** Lena rolled her eyes. **"I'll introduce you, later."** She reached up and gently brushed some hair off his forehead.

He leaned over and hugged her again, burying his face in the crook of her neck. **"I really missed you."**

Lena smiled at the familiar feeling. **"I missed you too."** She drew back and patted his damp cheek as she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was almost time for the first period to start. **"We have to go. The bell will ring in a few minutes, and getting seen by any other students or teachers would not be a good idea."**

He nodded in agreement and glanced toward the door once more. **"Wait here a moment, okay?"**

**"Why?"**

Hyun-Min squeezed Lena's shoulder for a moment, gave her a smile, and then hurried into the boys' locker room without another word. Lena stared at the closed door, feeling confused. Almost at once, the rest of the students swarmed around her again, their flow of questions returning.

* * *

_Another thing I changed from the manhwa for the use of my story; Hyun-Min is okay, rather than ending up as a catatonic vegetable in a wheelchair... That part of the manhwa pissed me off sooo much. Lena gets to go back to Korea after so long, and she spends like half an hour there, gives that necklace back to Hyun-Min, and then goes back to Scotland... =_=  
_

_But that is the point of fan fics, I suppose... x3 Getting to write the story the way you'd like it to go..._

_Also, I don't know what year Hyun-Min was in at school during the first volume (I think a second year like Lena, but I'm not sure) Whatever he was, for the sake of the story, he's now a third year. :P  
_

_**Korean terms:**  
**-sunbae -** the Korean honorific for "upper-classman", like sempai in Japanese.  
**kumdo -** a style of Korean sword fighting, like kendo in Japan.  
**ho-myun -** the helmet portion of the kumdo uniform (this is a reference to volume one where Hyun-Min was whining about the blisters on his feet, and asked one of the kumdo team members when he'd get to wear the full set of armor. xD)_


	13. Introductions

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

* * *

Hyun-Min carefully poured freshly brewed instant coffee into the eight styrofoam cups he had lined up on the top of his desk. It was somewhat difficult to keep hold of the electric thermos in his hand, as he was shaking slightly from the nervousness. He never thought he would be in a situation where he would be so closely watched while making coffee. Then again, he never thought making coffee would ever be seen as something so terribly fascinating as the one staring over his shoulder seemed to think. He set the thermos down, plugged it back into the outlet to keep the rest of the coffee warm, and looked behind himself. The large blue eyes of the blond man Lena had brought were far too close to him. Hyun-Min attempted to move closer to the desk as he turned himself around awkwardly.

"Um, it's done."

"That is amazing!" The young man looked down at the coffee and a bright smile spread across his face. Hyun-Min couldn't figure out why the coffee was so intriguing to this person. Then again, he'd been remarking loudly about practically everything he'd laid eyes on for the past hour.

Hyun-Min shot Lena a bemused look over the top of her bizarre friend's head and then turned back to him. The man was nearly trembling with excitement as he stared about the room curiously. "Could you sit down? I'll bring the coffee to you."

"Oh, I can-"

"No, I'll bring it." Hyun-Min quickly blocked the desk from his view, not wanting him to pick up any of the hot coffee. He looked like he was prone to accidents, and Hyun-Min didn't particularly want to clean coffee off his dorm room's floor.

The man looked at him for a moment and then nodded with slight disappointment. "I shall sit, then." He spun around and sat himself down next to Lena and began chattering to her. Hyun-Min let out a sigh of relief at getting his personal space cleared, and turned back around. Carefully picking up two cups in each hand, he stepped over to those sitting on the floor and crouched down.

"Here," he said, smiling as he held them out to the four men leaning against his bed. They nodded and cautiously took the coffee from him. "It's hot, so try to be careful not to burn your mouth," Hyun-Min warned as he stood up and walked back to the desk. He picked up the other four cups and then sat down beside Lena, passing the coffee to the last of them.

"Thanks," Lena smiled at him and then stared down at her cup, her eager expression faintly echoing how the blond man had looked.

"You're welcome," he replied and leaned against the wall. He let out a sigh and ran his eyes over his unexpected guests, who were looking much more groomed, not to mention they all smelled quite a bit better, now that they'd borrowed his room's shower and some of his clothing. He had always thought his double dorm room was huge, especially since he was the only one in it. It wasn't nearly as large as his bedroom at home, but it was still very spacious. But now that there were eight people crammed inside, it looked much, much smaller. Briefly blowing on the surface of his coffee, he took a small sip.

"Are you sure you should be skipping classes?" Lena glanced toward the door somewhat guiltily.

Hyun-Min chuckled and shrugged. "It'll be fine, it's only one day. Or two," he added in a mumble.

Lena smirked at him and carefully set her coffee on the wood floor in front of herself. "You're so hard-working."

"Well, I have to be. All those times you and I skipped class together." He clicked his tongue and forced a sigh. "You were a bad influence on me, Lena."

Lena lightly shoved him. "We did that _twice_. Lose the dramatics." She shook her head at his innocent look and sighed, "Okay, introductions."

All eyes suddenly turned to Hyun-Min. He stared back for a moment, feeling awkward at the sudden attention. "Ah, I'm Hyun-Min Kang, nice to meet you all," he said, trying to keep a smile on his face as he looked around at their guarded expressions.

Silence met his words, and he glanced worriedly at Lena. She sharply elbowed the one sitting next to her. He nearly dropped his coffee as she jostled his arm. "Introduce yourself."

"Oh," he set his cup down and leaned forward so he could see Hyun-Min better. He quickly cleared his throat and an important-looking expression settled on his face as he announced, "I am Sean Renock III, former crowned prince of the kingdom of Laud." His voice sounded rehearsed and formal as if he'd been practicing introducing himself.

Hyun-Min stared at him blankly for a moment. "The kingdom of what?"

Sean's face fell and then he looked extremely offended that Hyun-Min didn't look impressed in the least that he was sitting with royalty. A laugh suddenly rang out in the room and Sean's face flushed. "Stop laughing!" he snapped and slapped a hand on the floor, coming dangerously close to overturning the coffee cup.

"If you did not want me to, you should not have introduced yourself in such a manner. You look as if you were expecting applause and fanfares."

"Shut up," Lena cut in, and the men immediately went silent, though a few muffled chuckles still sounded from across the room. "Next."

"My name is Cid," another said, smiling at Hyun-Min from his seat by the bed. "I am a knight from the kingdom of Kabul. It is an honor to meet Ley's... Um." The smile slipped off his face and he glanced uncertainly toward Lena for a moment.

"Who's Ley?" Hyun-Min asked.

Lena sighed and took a drink of her coffee. "That would be me."

"Ley?" Hyun-Min repeated with amusement and she threw him an annoyed look.

"Yes, _Ley_. I called myself that when I was... where I was."

"Why did you change your name?" Sean asked curiously. Hyun-Min raised an eyebrow at him. He looked like he'd completely forgotten about being mad only seconds before.

"You can't possibly think a man would go around calling himself 'Lena', could you?" she shot him an incredulous look. The man sitting next to Cid snorted into his coffee, nearly spilling it down himself.

"Oh, that makes sense," Sean nodded, ignoring all of the loud coughing coming from by the bed.

"You were pretending to be a man?" Hyun-Min laughed. "Who would fall for that?"

Lena waved a hand at the others. "These people."

"Are you serious?"

"I never once said I was, they all just made assumptions based on how I dressed."

"Your audacious actions - which oddly befit you, though they are very unladylike, I must say - also had quite bit to do with our misconceptions."

She frowned at the man sitting across from her as a playful smile stretched across his face. "The situation was more favorable for males, so I went along with it. Anyway," she turned toward Hyun-Min and continued, "You also thought I was a guy when we first met."

"Oh, come on. You were being totally manly at the time."

"Well, sorry for being so ambiguous," she snorted. "Enough about my gender, continue with the introductions."

The girl sitting next to Sean waved a hand and smiled. "I am Sharis, like Cid I am also from the kingdom of Kabul."

He nodded at her and turned toward the row of men across from him. The one who'd been laughing leaned forward and smiled brightly at him, his pale eyes wandering over Hyun-Min's face calculatingly. "I am Michael, a knight from the kingdom of Kabul."

The man sitting next to Michael slowly brushed his long, brown hair over his shoulder and gave Hyun-Min a blank, unreadable look. "I am Lucien Wyclef, former crowned king of the kingdom of Tamir." His quiet voice was as flat as his facial expression. Hyun-Min gave him a twitchy smile, unsure as to how he should respond to the man's disinterested attitude.

"I am Nox," said the last, giving a polite nod to Hyun-Min. "I am his highness' servant."

Hyun-Min leaned against the wall again, and took a small drink of coffee, running his eyes over the strange group once more. "...Are you all from Scotland?"

"Yes," Sean affirmed as he energetically swirled his coffee around in its cup. Hyun-Min felt slightly annoyed with himself for choosing to serve coffee. Sean looked like he had already had several cups, though he was barely finished with his first. The prince paused in his motions and looked falteringly at Hyun-Min. "I said Laud, did I not?"

He nodded slightly and muttered, "Yes, you did, but I have no idea where Laud or those other two places are."

"Near Glasgow," Lena briefly explained.

"Oh. That I've actually heard of."

"How did you know that we are from Scotland if you have never heard of the kingdoms?" Michael asked, looking at him suspiciously.

"Your accents."

"Ah," he nodded and brushed his long fingers over the edge of his empty styrofoam cup. His eyes narrowed as he tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, scrutinizing Hyun-Min. His silver hair, still damp from the bath, rolled down his shoulder from where he'd had it arranged out of the way. "And where might you be from? I have never heard someone speak with an accent such as yours."

Hyun-Min looked at him in surprise from the unexpected question. "I grew up in the USA." He hadn't thought his accent had been changed by living in Korea. He'd never met anyone before who hadn't known straight away when he spoke in English where he was from, though it was harder to discern when he spoke Korean.

"The what?"

"I have never heard of that."

"Is that also here in Asia?" Michael continued.

"Of course not," Hyun-Min answered, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion. It was strange enough that they didn't recognize his accent, but to not know about the USA was completely unheard of. He was beginning to wonder about their mental state.

Lena looked like she was trying to suppress a laugh. "You guys wouldn't have heard of it, since it's a country that hadn't been discovered yet..."

Hyun-Min watched as the others gave meaningful nods while she spoke as if they understood what she'd just said. He looked back to her, having no idea how he should be responding to anything anymore, and she sent him a complicated expression.

"Hyun-Min, this is going to sound weird, but..."


	14. Shopping

_**Disclaimer -** Saver and all of the characters belong to Eun-Young Lee_

_**Note -** All bold text is spoken in Korean  
_

* * *

It had been a fairly normal day, to start off with. Though, that wasn't saying much since the past year had been very normal. The kind of normal that is forced and false, the kind of normal that takes place when someone else is pulling the strings of life, making everything happen in a certain way. Hyun-Min had been growing extremely tired of his normal life under the oppressive eye of his mother and her plans for him. She'd been strict and controlling even while he was living away from her in America, but ever since she'd discovered his relationship with Lena, she'd redoubled her efforts to keep him under lock and key. But now that Lena had come back, accompanied by six very strange people, Hyun-Min felt as though he had a chance to take back his life from his mother's clutches. He finally had a chance to lead the life he'd hardly dared to dream about since it seemed such an unlikely future. He didn't quite know just how he would go about getting out from under his mother's influence, but at least he finally had a reason to try.

Yes, his life had finally taken on a very abnormal twist in a very short amount of time, and he was enjoying every minute of it. Though, he hadn't predicted that he would be stuck sitting on an uncomfortable plastic bench for an hour, and several times at that. In the past, he had never quite grasped the impatient feelings many of his male friends had expressed to him after they had just spent a day at the mall with their girlfriends. But now he could see exactly what they had meant. And his situation was multiplied several times.

Lena had, understandably, wanted to go get new clothes for them, seeing as how Hyun-Min's clothes were too large for her, Sean, and Sharis. So they had gone to the first clothing store they could find. Hyun-Min hadn't thought that going to one store would lead to another, and another, and another, and so on and so forth until they had arrived at the one he found himself in at that moment. Lucien, Cid, Nox, and Lena had all gotten their clothing right away at the first store. But the other three, acting under Hyun-Min's offer of buying them whatever they wanted, had taken it upon themselves to try on everything in the store, no matter if it was actually in their size, or if they even liked how it looked. Thus he was stuck sitting on a bench outside their dressing rooms, surrounded by large piles of brightly colored shopping bags, wondering how in the world they were supposed to carry all of it back with them.

"Ley!" Sharis' voice suddenly called over the loud crashing and thumping noises coming from the other two dressing rooms where Sean and Michael were doing who-knew-what with a complete lack of composure. Hyun-Min watched with amusement as Lena let out a long sigh and very reluctantly got off the bench. He had been pleased to see how she interacted with her new friends. In the past, she'd always acted as though the people around her were simply there to bother her. But he could see she had finally found people she genuinely cared about, though she was very reluctant to show it. It made him very happy to see her progress.

Lena walked to Sharis' dressing room and went inside, shutting the door behind herself. "What is it now?" Her forcefully patient tone couldn't quite cover up her annoyance at getting called into the dressing room for the sixth time in just as many minutes.

"Which color do you think looks best?"

There was silence for a moment, and Lena finally muttered in a monotonous voice, "I have no idea, they both look very nice. Pick whatever one you like." She abruptly left the small room again, ignoring Sharis' indignant remarks, and shut the door. Looking extremely tired, she sat back down beside Hyun-Min. She sent him a long-suffering frown and then turned back to face the dressing rooms. "I refuse to go anywhere else after this," she grumbled, and then shot a look toward Nox. "...I take that back. Let's go to a hair salon afterward."

"Okay," Hyun-Min chuckled and nodded. He could see why she wanted to go there. Nox's page-cut hairstyle may have been normal in Scotland, but it looked extremely out of place here. Lena had forced him to wear a hat to cover it up while they were out in public.

They fell silent again, listening to the noises come from the three dressing rooms. Suddenly Sharis let out a roar of frustration. "I CANNOT DECIDE!"

"Choose _all of them_, then!" Michael's voice piped in from the dressing room on the far right.

"That would be greedy!" she shot back.

"It is not greed," Michael explained calmly. "It is wringing Hyun-Min's generous offer for all it is worth."

"Is that not the same thing?" Cid cut in.

"Of course not. I worded them in a completely different manner."

Lena rolled her eyes and glared at the dressing rooms' doors. "Just shut up, and finish already yet!"

"Fine, fine. No need to be so ill-tempered," Michael sighed, ignoring the fact that he was the one driving her annoyance to new heights, and flung open his dressing room door. "I am finished." He beckoned to Hyun-Min, with some difficulty as his arms were piled high with clothing, while he walked toward the cash register. "Please, come help me."

Hyun-Min stood and followed him, stopping in front of the overwhelmed-looking cashier. Michael carefully slid his mountains of clothes on the counter and pushed some away from himself. "I do not want these," he said, and placed a hand on the other pile. "And I do want these."

Hyun-Min relayed Michael's request to the cashier and she nodded in a jerky way, and began to clumsily scan the tags on the clothes. Michael leaned against the counter and absently twirled a bit of his hair around his fingers while staring at her. Hyun-Min wondered briefly if the man knew what he was doing to the poor woman, since he and the other five had been behaving in weird ways the entire time, not seeming to think their actions were strange in the slightest. But that thought was erased when Hyun-Min noticed the impish gleam in Michael's eyes. After the cashier dropped the scanner for the fourth time, Hyun-Min put his hand on Michael's shoulder and turned him around. "If you keep that up, she's going to faint. Go sit over there, or something."

"If you insist," Michael chuckled mischievously as Hyun-Min pushed him toward the benches again. He obediently lowered himself down beside Cid and leaned forward with his chin resting on one hand, eyes flickering back to the counter where the cashier was scanning the rest of the clothing tags much more easily, though her face was still red. "Ley," Michael laughed quietly. "This world is so much more amusing than you made it out to be."

"No," Lucien corrected and stared hard at Michael. "Your definition of amusement is simply twisted."

"Or, so says the king who never seems to find anything amusing," Michael retorted, raising an eyebrow at Lucien. He slowly leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "So often you sit about glaring at anything that moves, I fear you will give yourself premature wrinkles."

Lucien's face flushed slightly. "I do not have wrinkles!" Hyun-Min could barely keep himself from laughing as Lucien completely missed the point of what Michael had said. He felt somewhat impressed at Michael's ability to manipulate conversations to go in the way he wanted. The pale man was certainly not holding back as he flaunted the skill. Hyun-Min hadn't thought Lucien looked like the kind of person who could get flustered so easily, but after everything they had been through in the past day, it was somewhat understandable that he wasn't at his best. Hyun-Min also knew that he himself would probably get angry very easily if Michael suddenly decided to bother him.

Michael waved a finger at Lucien and smiled. "Not yet, my king! Not yet. But fear not, for I shall be there to remind you whenever you are in danger of ruining that handsome face of yours... Such as right now. Really, you are just reinforcing my words when you look at me like that."

Lucien opened his mouth to snap back, but he jumped in surprise as Sean suddenly burst out of his dressing room in a flurry of fabric and excited chattering, acting as though he hadn't noticed the verbal battle which had been taking place. The cashier's face fell slightly as he ran up and nearly threw his armload on the counter in a messy heap. Sharis cautiously left her dressing room a moment later, glancing at those seated on the benches before she ran over to Hyun-Min.

"Ah," she smiled up at him and placed the clothing on the counter next to Sean's. "I am finished. Thank you very much for this, Hyun-Min."

"You're welcome," he smiled back and turned to the cashier. **"Please add the cost for these clothes to the other man's, we're all together."**

**"****O-of course,"** the lady nodded, looking like she couldn't believe someone was buying so much all at once.

Ten minutes later, they were walking down the sidewalk, carrying the innumerable bags from the clothing shops. Hyun-Min wondered if he should call a ride for them. It would certainly make their trip easier, and also give him peace of mind that none of them would wander off while he or Lena wasn't looking, as had happened several times already, forcing Lena to go search for them.

They entered a small hair salon that was right down the street from where they'd been shopping, and Hyun-Min gave a sigh of relief as he dumped his load of bags on the floor and sat down in a seat by the window. Lena dragged Nox over to the counter and pulled his hat off. **"Do something about this,"** she ordered in a low voice to the woman behind the counter as she pointed at Nox's hair. The woman hesitated a moment and then guided Nox to an empty chair further inside the salon. Lucien followed a moment later and sat himself in a chair nearby, but waved off the woman who approached him a moment later. Nox looked very relieved that Lucien had come with him.

Lena looked over her shoulder. "Anyone else want a haircut?"

Michael shook his head and sat down beside Hyun-Min. "I do not."

"Ah, right..." Lena smirked at him. "I wouldn't want to rob you of your vanity."

He laughed for a moment and nodded. He gave a pointed look to Sean and then sighed. "However, I think _he_ should have his hair cut. His hair looks like a bird has made a nest in it."

Sean crossed his arms and stared down the bridge of his nose at Michael. "If anyone needs a hair cut, it is _you_, you girly man!"

"Sean," Michael said carefully and looked away from him. "I know you are jealous of my lovely, long hair and breathtaking features, but must you vent your frustrations over your plain looks onto me? It is very unbecoming of a young prince such as yourself. You must keep up appearances as much as you can, since you have so little of them in the first pla-"

"Michael!" Lena suddenly yelled. He looked at her innocently and casually crossed his legs. "Just shut up."

"Ah, I apologize."

"Sean, get your ass over here!"

"But Ley, I do not want my hair to be cut off!"

"Quit talking as though they're going to make you bald!"

Hyun-Min watched for a moment as Lena dragged Sean and Cid to empty chairs and began barking orders to the frightened-looking hair dressers. As the women began to cut their hair, Hyun-Min pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and flipped it open.

"What is that?" Michael asked him quietly, eyes fixated on the phone.

"It's a phone," Hyun-Min answered with a smile. He quickly opened his address book and scrolled to the correct number. "It's for talking to people who aren't here. Like," he paused and tried to think of words he could use that someone from almost seven centuries in the past would understand. "What I'm about to do is call for a ride for us, I use this to communicate with who I need. I just press this button, and they'll be able to hear my voice, and I'll be able to hear theirs."

"So it has the same purpose as, say, a page? Only much smaller, faster, and not alive."

Hyun-Min laughed for a moment at his example and nodded. He'd never thought of it that way. "Yeah, exactly." He dialed the number, feeling a bit surprised at how well Michael was taking everything. Everyone else looked so confused and lost, running to Lena for everything. But this man was slowly taking everything into consideration and actually understanding it. Underneath his sarcastic and irritating persona was an extremely intelligent, calculating person. It was somewhat unsettling how high his adaptive capabilities were.

But Michael's unexpected reactions to everything weren't as attention-catching to Hyun-Min as were the infrequent looks Lucien had been giving Lena. An uneasy feeling began to settle in his stomach as he lifted the cellphone to his ear, watching the others talk amongst themselves behind the counter.


End file.
